Demigod Heroes Online
by SwordOfTheGods
Summary: Kayaba Akihiko has developed the NerveGear and released it worldwide with the announcement of the first VRMMORPG game: Demigod Heroes Online. A group of friends soon find themselves trapped inside a world where the myths could end your life.
1. Demigod Heroes Online

Demigod Heroes Online

**Summary**: Kiyaba Akihiko has developed the **NerveGear** and released it worldwide with the announcement of the first VRMMORPG game: **Demigod Heroes Online**. A group of friends soon find themselves trapped inside a world were the myths could end your life. (A/U No gods, so powers are only in-game)

**Bold words indicate a chapter, an NPC's full name, a title, a general skill, an area, an item's full name, a message, or an event/important action.**

**Underlined Bold words indicate the game's name or a specific skill/reward.**

Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own PJO, HOO, or SAO. All rights go to their respective owners. This will be the only disclaimer.

Chapter 1:

Demigod Heroes online

"Come on guys! We're going to miss it at this rate," a frantic Percy yelled to the small band of teens following him. Everyone in this group had met at a summer camp for ADHD and dyslexic kids and afterwards had become very close. The group was following Percy Jackson, a 16 year-old, black-haired boy who was just over 6 feet tall, to his home to immerse themselves into the newly released virtual reality technology.

Following him closest are the Stoll twins, Conner and Travis, a pair of pranksters whose matching grins were infamous everywhere they'd been. Behind them and to Travis' left was Katie Gardener, a pretty girl with green eyes who was almost always in her garden at home if not hanging out with her friends. To Katie's right were Percy's cousins, Thalia Grace and Nico Di'Angelo. They were wearing dark clothing in the autumn weather and shared Percy's black hair color, but that's where the similarities stopped. Thalia was taller than Nico by 3 inches and had bright blue eyes. Nico had eyes such a deep shade of brown that they seemed almost black. The two were bickering until a gray-eyed blond stepped between them. (A/N I assume you have read the books, so they look like themselves at the end of TLO).

"But Annabeth," Thalia whined to her best friend. "I was about to punch him."

"No you were not," Annabeth stated. She had listened to them argue after school, on the bus home, and as soon as they saw each other on the way to Percy's house, and she was sick of it. Then somebody clearing their throat cut off their discussion. Everyone turned to look at Percy who was standing in front of the door to an apartment.

"We have about one hour until 6 O'clock," Percy stated. "That gives us enough time to eat dinner and prepare ourselves for **Demigod Heroes Online**!" The tiny crowd cheered with the green-eyed boy. He then turned and unlocked the apartment door before opening it to let everyone in.

LINE BREAK

The group was scattered throughout the living room of the Jackson family's apartment. Percy and Nico were lying in the comfortable armchairs sitting on ether side of a coffee table in the middle of the room. The Stolls and Katie were on the couch, Travis and Katie on the comforters length-wise and Conner lying on top of the plush back rest. Annabeth looked like she was asleep on the floor, the **NerveGear** hiding her face. Thalia was on the coffee table in the middle of the room, a blanket padding her back from its cold, hard surface.

"Everyone ready?" Percy asked unable and unwilling to hide the excitement in his voice.

"Yes!" This answer was unanimous before the group began counting down with the clocks in their headgear. "10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!"

"Uno," yelled the twins, just to be different.

"Link start!"

The screen in front of everyone's faces became a brilliant white. Five small disks appeared with the words sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste flashed in all languages of the countries in which the **NerveGear** had been released. Before the teens could read them, the disks' words changed to OK before moving to the right side of the screen and fading. Each teen then proceeded to create their own account, flying through the character selections since they knew what the wanted, and took the quiz that would determine their avatar's godly parent. Suddenly the seven teens were plunged into the virtual world.

(3rd person following Percy)

Percy opened his virtual eyes for the first time and couldn't help but be amazed. "It's so realistic," he thought. He looked down at his hands, wiggling his fingers as a test. Sure enough they followed his command just like his real fingers would. He staggered as the weight of another human was draped over him. He turned to find one of the twins, Travis he presumed, due to the large 'T' on the avatar's shirt. The teens had agreed to make their avatars look as close to their real selves as possible, but Travis' avatar was currently looking down on Percy due to a height difference that Percy had not expected.

"Sup, Pierce," Travis said. "Uh, that is you, isn't it?" Travis looked sheepish, hoping he had not just flung his arm over a random player whose avatar simply looked like his friend. Percy laughed, amused by his friend's confusion.

"Yes," he answered. "It's me. I'm guessing you're Travis based on the 'T' on your shirt, but why are you taller than me?" Percy had prided himself on being the tallest in their little group. It was Travis' turn to laugh now that his doubts about his friend's identity were gone.

"I got tired of looking up to you, literally, so I, and probably Conner too, made our characters taller. "I must admit, being taller than you feels weird," Travis said with his own half of the infamous 'Stoll Smirk' as the twins' smile had been named.

"Hey! Percy! Travis! Or is that Connor? Twin! Whichever one you are!" The boys turned to see Thalia and Annabeth walking towards them. It had been Thalia who had shouted to get their attention. Her avatar looked as close to herself as she could make it, right down to her black combat boots. Annabeth's character was the same, but her eyes were a warm, chocolate brown because she could not find gray in the eye color menu.

Percy felt a faint heat rise to his cheeks. He had had a secret crush on Annabeth since they met when they were 12, and by secret, everyone but Annabeth knew about it. Travis smirked at Percy, giving him a knowing glance. Inwardly, Percy began to plan on how to get back at Travis when Katie arrived, knowing Travis would prank Katie over anyone else as a way of flirting. Percy was snapped out of his musing when he heard Annabeth's voice.

"-ven't seen the others, I guess?"

"Huh?" Percy responded smartly.

Travis grinned, amused, before grinning wider and pointing to something behind the girls. Percy followed Travis' finger with his eyes until he saw the other three people of their little group of friends. Sure enough, Conner's avatar looked exactly like his brother's in every way except his shirt had a 'C' rather than Travis' 'T'.

As Katie, Nico, and Conner walked over, Travis began to lightly blush at the sight of Katie's avatar. She was pretty, but Percy thought that Annabeth was more so. Not that he would say that out loud. If he did the teasing would never end. Percy gave Travis a knowing smirk like to one he had received earlier and got punched in the arm for his troubles. Nico watched this exchange with interest before asking a question to the group.

"Do you guys know who your Godly Parent in the game is? I think mine glitched or something 'cause it didn't tell me."

'Oh,' Percy thought. 'I don't know my Godly Parent either.'

Annabeth responded with an exasperated sigh. "Nico! Didn't you read the manual? The game has a code stating that 'you will be claimed after performing what **DHO** deems an **'Act of Courage'**, such as getting the **'Last Attack Bonus'** on a **Floor Boss** or defeating a stronger player in a **PVP Dual**," she stated in her lecturing voice. Percy nodded along, not wanting to admit that he had not read the manual and that **Claiming** was news to him.

Nico caught the motion of the other black-haired boy and stated, "Oh, like you knew that Percy. We're both dyslexic, so I know you didn't read the manual!" Everyone began to laugh as Percy hung his head in embarrassment in being called out.

By this point, the area was getting pretty crowded with players who had taken longer to create their avatars. Only now did Percy and Travis take in their surroundings. They were on a hillside that seemed far too small to fit the 10,000 gamers that had bought **Demigod Heroes Online**. Percy assumed that there must be multiple starting areas for each language available because the only language he heard around him was English, but then remembered a translated news interview with the creator of **DHO** that he had read (with difficulty) saying that '**DHO** is equipped with a universal translator to remove language barriers on the upper floors.'

In front of them, next to a large pine tree, was a sign with 'Welcome to **Camp Half-Blood**' written under a drawing of a winged horse, a Pegasus Percy remembered from the Greek chapter they did in their history class at Goode High School.

Behind the sign was what looked like a normal summer camp in a valley, if normal summer camps had a sword dueling area or statues of divine-looking people spread out around the hillside in seemingly random spots.

'The rock wall looks normal,' Percy thought until what looked suspiciously like lava started flowing from the top. 'OK. That doesn't look normal."

The conversation had continued while Percy and Travis were looking around, but all talk ended when a centaur with a bow strapped to his back materialized into the middle of the field. The cursor (a blue crystal) floated above his head. Under the crystal it read '**Chiron, the Trainer of Heroes**'.

"Heroes!" the horse-man called. "Now that you are all logged in, the **tutorial** can begin!"

**End of chapter 1**


	2. The Suprise Announcement

**Chapter 2**

**A Surprise Announcement**

Chiron the centaur started showing the players around the camp, beginning with the sword-fighting arena where a couple of **Beta Testers** were dueling. There each player received a **Beginner's Sword **or a** Beginner's Knife** and afterwards Chiron taught the new players how to use **Sword Skills**. The **Trainer of Heroes** then suggested that they have a few practice rounds before they move on. Percy was able to defeat Travis and Connor individually, but was defeated by Annabeth who had chosen to use a knife instead of a sword. He claimed that he let her win, which would have worked if she hadn't kicked his butt the second time.

After everyone understood how to use **Sword Skills**, the mass of players followed Chiron to the archery range where Thalia found her weapon of choice and Percy accidentally shot Chiron in the butt with an arrow. The horse-man gave a 'Neigh' in surprise before bursting into floating blue polygons as the sound of breaking glass filled the area. Half of the crowd began laughing while the other half gave Percy dirty looks, thinking they would have to learn the rest on their own, until another **Chiron, the Trainer of Heroes** materialized in the field where the original had appeared. He seemed to have been programmed with an attitude because he walked over to Percy, took is **Beginner's Bow**, and smashed it over the head of the green-eyed boy. Percy began rubbing his head as his friends began to roar with laughter and the bow broke into polygons like Chiron had, the breaking glass sound sounding once more. The new Chiron then continued his speech about **Bow Skills **from where the original had been 'brutally murdered' and Nico so elegantly put it.

"Shut up," mumbled Percy causing the crowd around him to laugh harder.

Next, the 'campers', as Percy liked to think since they were in a camp setting, were led to the canoe lake on the other side of the field. During the walk Annabeth confirmed Percy's suspicions about not all players being there. Apparently Kiyaba Akihiko had set up 50 different severs for the **tutorial** that merge on the second floor. If Percy's math was correct, which it was for once, then there were only 200 players in each version of **Camp Half-Blood**. When Percy asked how all seven of them ended up in the same server Annabeth explained that there were servers for each region to put friends together for the **tutorial**.

Once the 'campers' arrived at the lake Chiron asked them to pair up and get in a canoe. Their friends paired Percy with Annabeth in yet another attempt to get Percy to ask her out despite his lack of courage. When everyone (minus Chiron) was on the lake, funny things started happening. For instance, Percy, who had been only average at best in canoeing at their camp, had become a natural. Also, many of the players were doused by waves that seemed to come from nowhere. Annabeth, Thalia, Nico, and people dressed in punk/Goth clothing or people who used 'big words' as Nico would say, tended to be the most wet. Everyone else was just collateral damage. The few people, like Percy, who appeared to be at home in the water managed to stay dry.

Percy laughed as another wave rolled over the front half of their canoe, covering Annabeth in another layer of water. Annabeth looked back at the chuckling boy and noticed that he was dry. She tried to splash him with her paddle, but the water seemed to simply vanish after hitting him, leaving him completely dry. She went into deep thought, scrunching her eyebrows together and pursing he lips unconsciously. Percy thought she looked cute with her thinking face until another wave rolled over the boat, interrupting Annabeth's thought process and making Percy burst into another round of laughter.

Soon, Everyone was called back by Chiron's booming voice. The digital centaur then announced that they were going to have an opening dinner to celebrate the beginning of **DHO**and a special announcement from the creator, Kiyaba Akihiko, himself. This caused a stir in the crowd. They got to meet the famed Kiyaba Akihiko? The genius that created what others could only dream about? The ADHD part of Percy's brain wondered if Kiyaba's speech was so good that he could say it once in all 50 servers and not get tired of it, or would he speak with no enthusiasm because he had said the same thing countless times before?

Percy was soon startled when someone with a slim hand placed food in front of him. He turned to thank them only to be startled once again, this time by their appearance. It was a **Dryad**, a tree spirit. Players could not be anything other than demigods, so this must be an **NPC**. A cup materialized by his plate with a keypad asking what he wanted. He typed in 'blue coca-cola', a favorite of his mother's that he picked up. The azure liquid filled his cup, but before he could take a drink Chiron raised his voice.

"TO THE GODS!" he called.

"TO THE GODS!" everyone chorused while raising their cups.

The meal was wonderful: BBQ, cheeseburgers, hotdogs, whatever. Percy wondered how much study had gone into making the food taste just right. When the meal was finished the time read 7:20. Kiyaba's speech was scheduled for 8:15, so the players had 55 minutes to kill. Chiron and a few **Beta Testers** suggested they farm some **EXP** and money in the **Camp Forest**, the first hunting area. It was in the forest that the group killed their first monster- a small **Hellhound** that had attacked them, it's death accompanied by the sound of breaking glass. They heard this sound around them from time to time, indicating other players practicing in the vicinity.

The group began to return to the dining pavilion when their timepieces read 8:10. They reached the pavilion right at 8:15. Some people who had lost track of time were teleported back to the pavilion. Apparently you can teleport in the game. Who knew? (Answer: Annabeth and anyone else who had read the manual.) Once no one else was being teleported in Chiron raised his voice.

"Heroes! Please turn your attention to the sky!"

Everyone did so. One hexagon in the digital sky, saying 'caution' if it was read, was flashing a deep blood red, a great contrast to the bright blue it normally held. The panels around it gained the same color. More and more panels changed, spreading from the central hexagon until the entire sky shared the same dark shade. Then, a bright light slowly emerged form the original panel. The wind picked up as the water in the lake began to churn, waves crashing against the beach. The closer to the mass of players the light got, the stronger the wind howled.

The light stopped descending when it was about 200 feet above them. The light then began to change, becoming more human. After about a minute the light began to fade, revealing a cloaked figure 50 feet tall. Its cloak was a brilliant white with many different colored trims creating beautiful designs along the openings.

"Greetings Heroes," said the figure in what sounded to Percy like a Japanese accent. The man's (the voice was, without a doubt, masculine) voice sounded funny, like it was not truly his voice. Like it was only a recreation of it. "I am Kiyaba Akihiko, the god of this new world (A/N Death Note reference anyone?). This game may be based on the myths of Greek immortals, but I am the only one with power over this system. As many of you may have noticed, the **Log Out** button is missing on your menus." The players looked at each other in confusion. Annabeth and a handful of other players opened their menus to confirm the man's statement. The group turned to Annabeth upon hearing her gasp.

"It's true," she said almost in a whisper, like she couldn't believe it. It was a bug, right? He was going to tell them when it would be fixed. That must be it. The chatter around them died out as the game's inventor raised his massive hand for silence.

"The **Log out** button missing is not a bug, but a feature of **Demigod Heroes Online**. I repeat, this in not a bug. You are now trapped in my world."

And that was when all hell broke loose. People and kids, like Nico, began running around, screaming 'we're all gonna die,' many running into a nearly invisible wall around the dining pavilion that had not been there before Kiyaba had arrived and collapsing. Others, like the Stolls, started trying to rip the **NerveGear** off their heads. Most people simply stared at the inventor, silent and dumbstruck. They couldn't log out? What about their everyday lives? Their friends? Their families?

Akihiko then waved his hand and everyone moving froze. The avatars of everyone present had been immobilized. The self-proclaimed god then spoke to the crowd once more.

"Now you are probably wondering 'why? Why would Kiyaba Akihiko, the inventor of the **NerveGear** and **Demigod Heroes Online** do such a thing?' The answer in quite simple and my purpose has already been fulfilled: to be the god of a world by my own design; to have the power to change and shape lives in any way I feel.

"Many of you may be thinking 'I'll just kill my player in the game. Then I will wake up in the real world, free of this place.' I'm afraid that it is not that simple. You see the **NerveGear** is controlled by a microchip. If you die in **DHO**, then the microchip will overload, frying your brain and ending your life. Your avatar will be erased from the **DHO** system and you will be deleted from both **DHO** and the real world."

Percy's mind was reeling. If they died here, in a game, they died in real life? How many have died already? How many WILL die because of this madman floating above them? Once again, someone speaking interrupted his thoughts.

"And for the twins down there who look like they are trying to remove their **NerveGear**s," said Akihiko while gesturing to Travis and Conner, "if someone, usually a family member or friend, were to try to remove your **NerveGear**, the chip would count the disconnection as an in-game death and fry your brain as if you had died. As a result of both of these methods, **Demigod Heroes Online** has 213 less players than when it began a few hours ago."

'Well that answers one of my questions,' Percy thought as dozens of screens of various NEWS channels from around the world appeared around the cloaked man. Some screens showed news warnings in all languages telling people not to try to remove a **NerveGear** from a person's head. Other screens showed weeping family members outside their houses as medical officers carefully carried comatose gamers out of their homes.

Percy felt his heart clench when he looked at a screen on the far right of Kiyaba Akihiko. The screen showed his mother, in her America Sweets uniform, crying as his stepfather, Paul, tried to comfort her. As Percy watched, his body was carried out of their apartment, followed by his friends' unconscious forms. Anger, longing, hate, and sadness swirled inside of him.

"There is one way to leave this **Demigod Heroes Online**without dieing in the process," continued Kiyaba, deeming his pause long enough. "You must defeat the 100th floor's **Boss**. As your manuals said, each floor has one **Boss Dungeon**, and each **Boss Dungeon**, a **Floor Boss**. If you defeat a **Floor Boss**, you move on to the next floor. If and/or when the **Boss** of the 100th floor is killed, then, and only then, will everyone be free to leave the game."

Percy felt a spark of hope inside. There was a way out? He could see his mom and stepfather again. He could go back to school, graduate, and live his life. He swore to himself, his friends, and his mother, that he would make it out of this deathtrap and save as many people in the process as possible. He would save his friends and return to the real world. Suddenly, he felt his arms fall. Others who had been running when frozen stumbled or fell. Nico landed on his face after crashing into Travis, knocking him over as well. The sight would have been funny outside of a serious situation.

"Heroes," Kiyaba spoke again. "Before I leave you for the next server, I wish to tell you that I have gifted each of you an item. Please see what it is." Percy couldn't stop himself as curiosity took hold of him. He opened the **Player Menu** like everyone else and moved his finger over **Items**. Inside was only one thing,

"A **mirror**?" Percy asked as the reflective item appeared after he clicked on the word. "How is this-?" He was cut off as he was covered in a bright blue light. Other similar lights surrounded each player until everyone was shining. When the lights died out, Percy turned to his left where Annabeth had been standing. He was met with piercing gray eyes, eyes he knew very well.

"A-Annabeth?" he stuttered. "Is that you? Your eyes. Th-they're back to gray."

"You don't sound sad about that," she responded. "Your eyes have returned to their unique green as well."

Percy looked into the **mirror** again, but instead of the face of the avatar he had created that he saw the first time, his own face stared back at him. His hair was a shade darker, the color of his real hair. His eyes were a sea green that he had inherited from his real father. He looked at Annabeth. Her honey-blond hair cascaded down past her shoulders and her stormy-gray eyes were pointed at something behind him. Percy turned, only to see Travis and Connor crying about how they were shorter than everybody (except Nico) again. Percy attention was called back to Kiyaba as be began to finish his speech.

"And thus ends the **tutorial**. If you survive this floor, you will meet the players from the other servers on floor 2 where all the servers combine. I wish you Heroes the best of luck." With that sentence his clothes began to fold in on themselves and start glowing. The light from the Inventor's clothes became blinding, forcing the players to look away. The wind died down as the light faded. When everyone looked back to where Akihiko had been, there was nothing but virtual air. Suddenly, a girl in the crowd screamed and the full weight of what he had said fell on the large crowd.

They were trapped inside a deadly video game.

**End of Chapter 2  
**

* * *

(A/N So... even though I didn't mention it in my first chapter, this is my first story and I really want to know what you guys (and girls) think about it. Constructive critisism is accepted and encouraged, but please no flaming. Also, I have quite a few chapters already typed out and will try to update every weekend unless life interfears (stupid life...) or a lot if people ask me to update sooner. Thank you!)


	3. The First Boss

**Chapter 3:**

**The First Boss**

35 people.

One month in **DHO** and 35 people in server 27 were dead. Seven of them were **Beta Testers** who thought they could solo and survive. Sixteen were newbies who were caught off guard or were overwhelmed by monsters that travel in packs.

The other ten were suicides.

The seven had had their first taste of watching someone die two weeks into the game. A **Beta Tester** named Byron Golligot had been soloing in an area of the forest near a pile of rocks called **Zeus' Fist** when he was swarmed by a pack of **Hellhounds**. The gang heard him screaming and ran to help, but they were too late. The group had entered the clearing to find Byron on the ground, a **Hellhound** crouched in his chest, red polygons floating from multiple cuts across his avatar, and his health bar in the red and falling. He made eye contact with Percy before bursting into countless blue polygons.

The sound of glass breaking filled the clearing. The friends stood in shock. A teen, no older than them, was dead just because he wanted to play a video game. Percy had talked to Byron before. He was a nice guy and an Apollo kid. Was.

Nico was the first to react when he noticed the **Hellhounds** turn to face them. It was a small pack, only five monsters, and they had been weakened from fighting against Byron. The monsters attacked.

"Guys! Move!" yelled Nico while deflecting the glowing claws of one of the smaller **Hellhounds**. Annabeth and Katie ran past him, charging the largest **Hellhound**\- the leader of the pack. Percy was next. He tried to get to the girls to help, but was shortstopped by another monster. Thalia turned and ran to the tree line, climbing an oak to get a good bow shooting position. The last two **Hellhounds** challenged the twins.

Percy mentally thanked his ADHD. It kept him moving, kept him alive. Percy sidestepped a lunge by the monster he was fighting and sliced a gash into its side. It howled in pain, but was cut off abruptly by the 'twang' of Thalia's bowstring and the 'thunk' of her arrow nailing its windpipe. As it broke Percy heard Nico gasp. He turned and charged at the beast that now had Nico pinned under its paws. He also noticed that what appeared to be vines were wrapping around the largest **Hellhound**, but that wasn't his immediate concern. Percy stabbed his new opponent in the butt causing it to jump and yelp in a way that would be comical outside of a life-or-death situation.

It turned and growled, lunging at Percy. He sliced up on instinct, cutting the beast's head in two. The headshot caused double damage, killing the monster instantly. An arrow that had been aimed at it flew through the polygons left behind and, in an amazing show of luck, nailed one of the mutts the Stolls were dueling with in a front leg, causing it to fall and trip it's companion. Nico gave Percy a quick 'thanks' as the twins quickly dealt with their two grounded foes before everyone (minus Annabeth and Katie) turned to the final monster. It was trapped in vines and had both Annabeth's knife and Katie's sword stabbed in it's throat. It made no sound before it broke like the rest of its pack.

"Well that was fun," Nico commented dryly.

A giant gray owl swooped down from the trees, causing Thalia to fall out of the tree in shock. It gracefully landed on Annabeth's head as a gray glow surrounded her. At the same time glowing vines and stalks of wheat sprouted around Katie. A message appeared in front of each of them simultaneously. Annabeth's read **'CONGRATULATIONS! You have been claimed! Your parent is Athena: Goddess of Battle Strategy and Wisdom!'** Katie's message was similar, but said her parent was '**Demeter: Goddess of the Harvest**'. After closing their messages, Katie received another saying **'Skill Unlocked: ****Plant Control**'. The girl's cursors changed to take the form of the things that clamed the girls, a gray owl for Annabeth and wheat for Katie.

"Well," said Nico as Thalia jogged up to them and the owl flew away. "I'm gonna start calling you Owl Head." Percy started chuckling, but managed to pass it off as a cough.

"What?! Why?"

"'Cause of that owl that landed on your head and your new cursor. Thus: Owl Head."

Annabeth then shot Nico a glare causing him to hide behind the person closest to him, said person being Percy. Once Annabeth stopped glaring she received another message. This message said **'Congratulations! Skill Unlocked: ****Athena Glare****!'** Annabeth clicked on her new ability, wishing to read its description because its name was not as self-explanatory as Katie's **Plant Control**.

The description read: **The ****Athena Glare**** \- a glare that, if strong enough, can freeze opponents in fear for up to half a minute. Skill only available to claimed children of Athena.**

Afterwards they returned to camp still shell-shocked. Five of the group went to cabin 11, the Hermes cabin where the unclaimed players slept, while Annabeth and Katie went to the Athena and Demeter cabins respectivly to get acquainted with their new pseudo-siblings.

The next day, none of them had wanted to fight. The will had been sucked from them after watching someone die. They only returned to the forest for **EXP** after Nico, who was less fazed than the others for some reason, reminded them the only way out was to win. This snapped them out of their depression and reminded them of their new purpose. The group farmed **EXP** for the next week and all of them grew to level 12, one level above the dungeon's suggested level.

One month after the game began, a meeting was held in the pavilion. About a quarter of the players were there. Conor Akeas, an Ares camper who was one of the strongest at level 15, led the meeting. He had been a **Beta Tester**, and was, like the other **B.T.'s** as they were called, respected around the camp.

"Hello everyone! My name is Conor and my parent is Ares." He paused as a round of loud applause arose from a group of large, buff kids who looked like they would fit on a football team. All of them shared matching cursors- a boar's head crossed with a staff. He continued after the cheering subsided. "I was a **Beta Tester**, so I've got more than a month's experience in this world. Unfortunately, Kiyaba Akihiko seems to have changed the layout of all the floors. **Dungeons** now have different patterns than in the beta and the **Boss Room**, I'm guessing all of them, have been moved." Percy noticed that all of the Athena kids, Annabeth included, got thoughtful looks upon hearing this information. Percy was so absorbed in watching her think that he almost missed Conor's next words. "Luckily, we have found the **Boss Room** and have called this meeting to give you this information and form a clearing party." Percy thought about that. They'd found the **Boss Room**. Once the **Floor** **Boss** was defeated, they could move on to the next floor. Their journey to freedom would begin.

"I would like all of you to break into squads, preferably with similar abilities like defense, short-range offence, or long-range offence."

Instantly, six of the seven turned to each other. Percy offered to form the party and invited his six friends. All except Thalia accepted quickly. Thalia declined the invitation, telling them that it would be better if she joined a bow-and-arrow party. Within minutes the squads were complete and Conor gave them a number to distinguish each. Percy's group was Squad 6. Conor then dismissed everyone and told everyone to train and prepare for the raid the next day.

LINE BREAK

The raiding party, about 50 players, was walking through the **Boss Dungeon**. For most of the players it was like a casual stroll because, following Conor Akeas' orders, the squads switched out with each other every 15 minutes to clear the monsters, yet keep health up. The mass of players was rounding a corner on the tenth level when they entered a long and wide corridor. In the distance, the leading players could see a large door set into the far wall. As the crowd got closer, Percy noted that the door was made of a black rock and was carved with intricate designs that would be beautiful if the rock didn't give off a creepy feeling, like death and despair. Conor stopped in front of the door and turned to address the group.

"This is the **Boss Room**. Inside should be a **Hellhound** three times the size of any found in the **Camp Forest**. It will have **Sentinels**, usually smaller versions of the **Boss**. I want groups 2, 3, 5, and 6 covering them. Group 7, you will provide cover fire with your bows. Go for the minions first. Groups 1 and 4 will fend off the **Boss'** attacks until most of the **Sentinels** are defeated. Group 8, the medics, will run in and provide **Ambrosia and Nectar** (the healing items) to players whose health falls into the yellow.

"After the **Sentinels** are defeated, we will use hit-and-run tactics until the **Boss'** health is in the red. Follow my orders for those. More minions could appear then, but it's unlikely. Groups 2, 5, and 7, they are your job if the show. After that we will kill the **Boss** and clear this floor. LET'S DO THIS!" The party cheered as Conor pushed the **Boss Room** doors open. The giant doors swung inward with no sound to indicate their movement.

The crowd moved forward silently. The floor changed from the rough rock of the cave to a beaten-down wheat field. Poplar trees grew randomly around the edges of the room. The sound of running water quietly came from a stream off to the left of the players. A black mass at the opposite side of the field shifted, standing up on four legs. Percy assumed that was the **Boss** when it began panting like a dog, its tail swinging behind it, uprooting an unfortunate tree that burst into particles after landing some feet away. A cursor appeared above its head saying **Persephone's Pet**. Smaller **Hellhounds** of all sizes flashed in around the **Boss**. Each of their cursors read **Hellhound Sentinel**.

When they stopped appearing there were about the same number of **Sentinels** as clearers present. Both small armies looked at each other for a few long seconds before the **Boss** howled, the **Sentinels** around it joining in. After this display, Conor gave his first command of the battle.

"CHARGE!" he shouted, the order barely carrying over the battle cries of the players rushing forward to meet the running **Sentinels**. The armies were glowing multiple colors due to the wide variety of **Sword Skills** (and **Monster Skills**) being used. The groups met in the middle, slowing to a stop as they fought. Every 30 seconds a small barrage of glowing arrows (seventeen to be exact) would fall into the middle of the mass of **Hellhounds**, wounding or destroying the unfortunate **Sentinels** they hit. Groups 1 and 4 followed their orders and fought the **Boss**, switching every couple of minutes to heal.

In fifteen minutes, the mass of **Hellhounds** had been reduced to less than ten stragglers. The **Boss'** health had fallen from two full bars into the yellow of its second bar. Percy's group worked together flawlessly, switching between themselves to conserve energy. After the last **Sentinel** broke into polygons (courtesy of Nico), the party began its hit-and-run attacks on order of Conor Akeas, quickly reducing the **Boss**' health into the red. The **Boss** howled, causing the closest players to back away. One demigod, a buff girl who Percy vaguely remembered from the group that had cheered during yesterday's meeting, rushed forward with her spear glowing, yelling defiantly while leaving her group behind.

She faltered to a stop when the **Boss** avoided the **Sword Skill** from her spear by jumping higher into the air than should be possible. As the monstrous hound returned to Earth, Percy began running. The girl, still in mild shock, was unprepared to dodge or block the strike **Persephone's Pet** was readying. As the **Boss** swung its paw to claw the girl's head and end her life, Percy appeared between them. His glowing sword took most of the damage before snapping and bursting into countless polygons.

The **Boss**' paw was still moving, though slower, and cleaved into Percy's chest leaving three red cuts and sending the black-haired boy into the person he had saved. She was knocked back only a few feet and onto her butt while losing her grip on her spear, but Percy was sent flying toward the left wall, his health falling from high green to low yellow in the air, and yellow to red as he hit the ground, rolling a few feet into the stream.

The **Boss** was preparing to finish off the girl who was retreating backwards on her hands and feet when a yell caught the attention of everyone in the room including the **Floor Boss**. They turned to find Percy standing in the water, his health bar rising from red to high yellow without stopping as he attracted the **Boss**' attention. The giant dog began walking toward the boy standing the water, narrowing its eyes as it locked onto its target.

Annabeth, thinking at a hundred miles per hour, followed quietly as water began swirling around Percy, whose health was now in the green. He had no idea what he was doing, but it seemed to be working. As the guardian of the second floor crept closer to Percy, Annabeth readied her knife. Percy noticed her and gave her a nod when he was ready and together they struck. Percy aimed a wave that crashed into the hound's head that removed the last of its health left from Annabeth's stab into its side. A glowing green trident appeared over Percy's head as **Persephone's Pet** gave one last mournful howl before expanding and bursting into the blue polygons that accompany the sound of breaking glass.

For a couple of seconds nobody moved. The sound of a trumpet fanfare played as '**CONGRATULATIONS**' appeared in the middle of the room. The party burst into cheers as people began celebrating, hugging each other, and breathing sighs of relief. A little screen appeared In front of each person congratulating them on leveling up. The bottom of the screen had a list of the items that each player received. At the bottom of Percy's screen it read '**Congratulations! Skill unlocked:** **Water Control****!'** When Percy closed that screen, a new screen appeared saying **'Congratulations! You got the ****Last Attack Bonus****. Item received: ****Anaklusmos**'. Under that is said **'English translation: ****Riptide**'.

Percy became curious about what he received. He clicked the name of the item. A sword about three feet in length materialized in his hand. Greek letters, Percy guessed the spelled out the sword's name, were etched into the blade. Despite the carvings, the blade was perfectly balanced. It's sheath materialized next to his left hip connected to a belt around his waist after he clicked '**equip**'.

Then yet another screen appeared before the boy still standing in the stream. This one read '**Congratulations! You have been claimed! Your parent is ****Poseidon: god of the seas**'. There were images of aquatic animals and horses all around the boarders. Someone then cleared their throat behind him. He turned, the symbol above his head merging with his cursor and the message fading as he did so. His friends, Thalia included since the archer party disbanded, were standing there looking at him.

"Uh . . . Hi?"

"That was so cool!" shouted Nico, sounding like a little kid. "You were all like 'watch this,' and Annabeth was all like 'sneak, sneak, I'ma ninja. You can't see me.' And then you were all 'take this! BAM!' And Annabeth was all 'surprise! STAB!' And-" Nico was cut off by Annabeth who smacked him in the back of the head. Nico's health bar appeared, lost one health point, and faded away.

"So . . . Your parent is the god of the sea. That's pretty cool," Annabeth said while Nico grumbled, mentioning something with 'Owl Head' in it and rubbing the back of his head. Before Percy could respond, a holler diverted his attention again. When the group turned, they found Conor Akeas walking toward them with a smile on his face.

"That was quite the show you put on," he said. "What's your name?"

"Percy. Percy Jackson."

"And your name, Blondie?" he asked turning to Annabeth.

"It's Annabeth. And DON'T call me Blondie," the gray-eyed girl responded, **Athena Glare**-ing at him due to the nickname.

"Well it's nice to meet you," he replied unfazed. "Ya know, back in the Beta, we had this tradition. The person who finished off a **Floor Boss** was the one to open the door and be the first to enter the next floor. It's a big honor." He paused, letting that sink in. "You got the **Last Attack Bonus**, so you get to open the door."

Percy thought about that before smiling. He walked past Conor while heading toward the door. Percy's friends followed. As they walked, Katie invited Thalia into the party and she accepted this time. Standing around the door was a group that Percy assumed were the **B.T.s** from their server; they parted for him as he climbed the steps to the large doors. Percy had barely pushed on the doors when they swung outward with a creak.

Percy stepped onto the field behind the doors. He breathed deeply. New smells, different than the ones he had started associating with **Camp Half-Blood**, assaulted his nose. 'This is it,' he and everyone else thought. 'Our quest for freedom has begun.'

**End of Chapter 3**

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**A/N: This was originally two separate chapters, but I came to the conclution that chapter 3 was too short and combined them. On another note I realized I had no disclaimer and went back to add one so I can't be sued. Also, I am quite disappointed in the number of reviews. The only review I got I have messaged and asked for, so REVIEW!**


	4. The Second Floor

I want to give a big 'thank you' to everyone who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed. You guys are awesome. There's not much action in this chapter, it's mostly a transition to the higher floors. Oh well. Also, while I do not own PJO or SAO, I do own the character Conor Akeas. It's unlikely, but if anyone wants to use him in a story, please PM me first. Thank you and without further ado:

**Chapter 4:**

**The Second Floor**

The clearing party trudged across a plain after regrouping on the other side of the doors. Conor Akeas was leading the group, followed closely by Percy and his friends. The other 41 players walking behind them were talking, laughing, and having a good time celebrating their victory over the first **Boss**. The group was walking toward a town on the other side of the plain.

It took about seven minutes of walking before they were standing in front of the town's entrance. A man, probably an **NPC**, was waiting for them. He was taller than average, about 6' 7'', with a mean, scarred face. His cursor read **Ares, God of War**. Behind him, other players whose features suggested that English was not their language mingled in a plaza. They were talking, shopping, and having fun. A crowd had gathered to look at the newcomers, wondering if they will help them clear the game or hinder them by taking money and **EXP** while being useless.

As the group entered the new city Ares looked down on them. "So your the next batch of maggots through the gate, huh? I'm not surprised. You were led by one of my kids." Conor Akeas stood a little taller, puffing out his chest in pride at his pseudo-father's praise. "And you didn't lose a single person during the fight. Good job, I guess. Well, welcome to **Sparta**, runts." After Ares finished his introduction he began to glow. The glowing got stronger and brighter until all the players were forced to look away. When the glowing stopped he was gone.

The group began looking around. Behind where Ares had been was a fountain with a statue of the god who had spoken to them. The statue was welding a short sword and Spartan shield while standing over a dead enemy, a spear impaled in the body's chest. The water flowed from the wound and the point of Ares' sword, which was pointing toward the sky.

Around the plaza were shops advertising a plethora of items from clothing to weapons to accessories likes rings and necklaces. An inn sat on the opposite side from the entrance. The buildings all looked a little small, but there were multiple alleys between the shops that led deeper into the city. Conor Akeas then turned to address the group.

"Well. Now that we are on the second floor we aren't the only players. Kiyaba Akihiko said that all of the servers combine here. Judging by those other people, he told the truth. It is time we went down our own paths. We will meet again. I know I will be at every **Boss Fight** I can. I can only hope that you can help us free ourselves. Goodbye and don't die." With that Conor Akeas, the **B.T. **who lead them through the first floor, walked away.

"Well . . . OK then," said someone in the crowd, breaking most of the tension caused by Conor's speech. Everyone then dispersed, leaving to explore their new city and meet new people. The six turned to Percy, who had always been their unannounced leader, for an idea of what to do.

"Well I say we grab a room in the inn before they're gone. Then we can go exploring if you guys want to." The group agreed and began to walk towards the inn, but they were stopped halfway there.

"Hey, kid! You with the black hair!" Percy, Thalia, and Nico, all having black hair, turned around to see a buff-looking girl with a spear strapped to her back running towards them. Percy recognized her; she was the player he had rescued during the **Boss Fight**. Once she was close to the group, she stopped and pointed at Percy. "I, uh, I wanted to thank you for saving me back at the **Boss Fight**, not that I needed help," she grumbled. She then became very proud as she continued. "I'm Clarisse. Clarisse La'Rue. Daughter of Ares."

"Oh . . . Percy," he said, holding out his hand. "Percy Jackson. Son of Poseidon."

"If you say so, Prissy."

"Percy."

"Whatever. You saved me so I am in your debt. And I don't like being indebted to people," Clarisse said as she pulled up her menu and hit a few buttons. A **Friend Request** appeared in front of Percy. "Here. Send me a message if you need help. Then we're even."

As soon as Percy accepted the request the daughter of Ares ran off, entering one of the many weapons shops. If Percy's guess was right, then she didn't want to be seen with them. He gasped in pain and surprise when someone punched him in the arm.

"Congratulations Percy. You now have a grand total of seven friends. Don't you feel popular?"

"Shut up Thalia," Percy mumbled. "Can we just find a place to stay?"

The group continued on their way as Connor and Travis started to tease Percy about his new 'girlfriend'. As they entered the small-looking building they froze and Annabeth mumbled something that sounded to Percy like 'It's bigger on the inside' (A/N: HEHE Doctor Who reference) which was true. The inn had to have room to accommodate most of the players that arrive on the second floor, therefore the inn had more rooms than should be physically possible. Well it is a game in a virtual world.

The heroes walked up to the receptionist **NPC** and Annabeth asked for two rooms. They were able to reserve their rooms for a very low price (second floor, no money) and left to get a feel for the town.

* * *

The town was filled with life. Well, artificial life. Both **NPCs** and players roamed the streets, walking in and out of the shops that lined the alleys. The new inhabitants of floor 2 had been exploring for about three hours. Percy, Annabeth, and Nico were browsing through a weapons shop in the entrance plaza when a bell chime sounded throughout the city. The players in the shop who were from other servers began to leave or complete their orders quickly before exiting. One player was walking past them, but before he could exit the store Annabeth grabbed a handful of his sleeve.

"Excuse me," the gray-eyed girl said, "but what's going on?"

"Oh. You must have been in the group that arrived earlier today." Annabeth nodded before he continued. "That bell means that another server has beaten their first **Floor** **Boss** and has opened the door to this level. They should be arriving in a few minutes. It's strange. We've never had two servers beaten in single day." With that he left the store.

"So . . . what do you say we see this new group for ourselves," asked Percy.

"I think that sounds like fun," said Nico.

"Why not? We could make some friends," responded Annabeth.

"Well let's go then!" They exited the building into the plaza, which was quickly filling with players.

Ares had come back looking just like he had when the newest group had arrived only hours ago. A figure, wearing a black cloak, could barely be seen in the distance. The figure was walking swiftly, as if they were trying to get away from something or someone while trying to look relaxed. As the person came closer, Percy, who was near the front of the crowd, noted that this player was male. His physique was like that of a hard-core gamer: almost too thin and almost no muscle. He had black hair and pale skin, like a taller version of Nico. His clothes were just as dark**:** black shoes, dark pants, a navy blue shirt, black fingerless gloves, and his cloak. A leather strap wrapped around his chest from his right shoulder to under his left arm and the handle of his sword poked out from behind his right shoulder in a not-very-Greek fashion. His cursor was a pale skull.

He entered the town and looked up at the Ares **NPC** with a neutral expression, no visible feeling in his cold, calculating, and dark gray eyes. The **NPC** stared back at him with a small amount of surprise. Ares then spoke to the newcomer.

"Just one? What happened? Did the mutt kill 'em all, leaving just you? Did you beat the **Boss** alone? You don't look strong enough to have done that."

"No. They're coming," the player said. "Just a bit surprised and confused."

His voice sounded strange to Percy. Similar to when Kiyaba Akihiko had spoken to them. Percy turned to Annabeth and whispered to her.

"I think he's from Japan. His voice sounds like Kiyaba Akihiko's. Like it's being translated."

"Your right," called the player. "I am from Japan." He cracked a smile at seeing Percy's startled face. Then he spoke to the group as a whole. "I am a son of Hades. My name is Kirito and I am the **Beater**! Now get out of my way."

He walked forwards and the crowd separated, parting for the dark-clothed stranger. After he walked into the inn Ares chuckled before bursting into laughter.

"I like that guy's attitude," the **NPC** chuckled. "Wish he was one of mine."

One similar thought raced through the minds of everyone present:

'Who is this **Beater**?'

**End of Chapter 4**

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**Please review!**


	5. New Faces and New Friends

**A/N I hope no one is offended if I use the term 'black' to discribe Agil. I can't think of any politically correct terms since he is not American. Also, I hope my use of the Japanese honorifics is correct. If not, please PM me. Thank you.**

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**Chapter 5:**

New Faces, New Friends

Word of the **Beater** and the scene he had caused spread like wildfire through the second-floor town of **Sparta**. By time the rest of the **Beater**'s server's **Boss Raiders** arrived the entire plaza was packed with players looking for information on the dark-clothed male.

A dozen girls had run into the inn hoping to 'get to know' the mysterious **Beater**, but soon walked out disappointed. Apparently Hades' children had a means of travel that was special to them, allowing him to leave unseen.

The mass of new players was lead by three individuals (A/N I'm going for what they look like in episode 2, but most people will wear their swords Greek style). All of them shared cursors of unclaimed players, but their posture was that of people confident in their abilities. One was a short, spiky-haired ginger male with dark brown eyes, a shaggy goatee and an angry-looking face. He was dressed in a tan shirt, basic brown pants, leather Armour, brown fingerless gloves, and had his broadsword sheathed at his side. Percy could hear him complaining about the **Beater** in a gruff voice while using a pretty colorful vocabulary.

The second was a huge, bald, black man (A/N I don't know if the term would be African-American if he's from Japan, not America). He had a giant battle-ax strapped to his back and rivaled **NPC** Ares in height. He had a semi-trimmed beard with no sideburns and wore basic clothing: Brown tank top, tan cargo pants, similar gloves, and combat boots. His left ear was pierced in 2 places, and his face seemed bored as he ignored the other male.

The third, trailing behind the other two, was a girl. She had long auburn hair that flowed down past her back with two braids on either side of her head meeting in the back. Her clothes were red and white: white long-sleeved shirt and leggings, red vest, skirt, and boots. She had a **Beginner's Rapier** strapped to her left hip and her amber eyes looked annoyed at the ginger in front of her.

As they entered the town Ares grunted at them. "It's about time, maggots. Your friend got here six minutes ago-" Ares was interrupted by the ginger.

"Where is that bastard? He is the reason Diabel-san died! I want to kill him! Come on out you damn **Beater**! I know you're here!"

"Easy there, Kibaou. He ain't here. He left after introducing himself.

"How do you know my name?" Kibow growled.

"I know your name 'cause I know the names of all of my kids," said Ares matter-of-factly. The image of a bloody spear and a boar's head appeared over Kibaou and merged with his now outdated cursor and his **Claimed** message appeared in front of him. "Welcome to the family, Kibaou."

" . . . I still want to kill him."

"Perfectly understandable. Anyway," said Ares turning to the other two. "I don't know you two, neither of you are mine. Who are your parents?"

"We don't know," answered the girl. "My name is Asuna," she then gestured to the African-Japanese (correct term?) beside her. "And this is Agil. Our entire server is from Japan." Ares laughed after Asuna finished. "What's so funny," she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Man, I love the Japanese," the **NPC** said. "They have the best names. Seriously. Asuna. Kibaou. Kirito. Agil. They're so fun to say. Kinda rolls off the tongue. Know what I mean? No? Oh well. Anyway, maggots, congrats on beating the first **Boss** and welcome to **Sparta**." With that Ares did his 'blinding light and disappearing' trick.

* * *

Agil and Asuna were pretty cool people in Percy's opinion. It had been Annabeth's idea to introduce themselves to the three leaders of the newest group, but Kibaou had left in search of the **Beater**. The seven, Asuna, and Agil were sitting outside one of the restaurants in an alley off of the entrance plaza.

"I wish we could have talked to Kibaou as well," said Annabeth trying to start the conversation after everyone had ordered a drink and said drinks materialized in their hands, "but why does he hate the kid who came through before you guys?"

"You mean Kirito-kun, right?" asked Asuna, taking a sip of her soda. "The **Beater**."

"Yes," Annabeth answered, "That's the one. Is he a **B.T.**? And what does –kun mean? Is that his last name?"

"**B.T.**?" asked Agil, speaking in their presence for the first time in a deep voice.

"Oh, sorry. That's our server's term for **Beta Testers**," explained Annabeth, getting understanding nods from Asuna and Agil.

"You're not from Japan are you? no, it's not a family name. It's an honorific- a term of friendship/respect. As to how I met Kirito-kun, it's a pretty long story-" started Asuna before Agil interrupted her.

"It's not that long," he stated, putting down his coffee. "We've only been here a month."

"Whatever. Anyway, I met Kirito-kun during our server's **Boss Raid** meeting. The meeting was held by a player named Diabel."

"Wait," said Nico. "Isn't he the one Kibaou mentioned dying because of the **Beater**?"

"It wasn't Kirito-kun's fault, but that's later in the story."

"Sorry. Please continue," Nico said, sipping his Coke through a straw.

"Apology accepted. Anyway, Kirito-kun and I were in a party together since we didn't know anybody there. Diabel-san was talking about our strategy; he was a son of Athena after all, when Kibaou jumped in blaming **Beta Testers** for the deaths of the newer players. Agil-san spoke up to counter his arguments. Kibaou and Diabel-san became close friends after Kibaou apologized."

"Hold on," Annabeth stopped her. "You used the honorifics for Kirito and Agil, but not for Kibaou, Why?"

"Honorifics are usually only given to people we respect. I don't like Kibaou that much; he's too impulsive, therefore I didn't use an Honorific. Understand?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Where was I? Oh! During the **Boss Fight** the **Boss**' fighting style changed, differing from the information we were given. Kirito-kun tried to warn him, but Diabel-san was attacked. Kirito-kun tried to heal him, but it was too late. After he died, Kirito-kun and I tried to kill the **Boss** alone and we would have died if Agil-san hadn't covered us. We killed the **Boss**, but Kibaou had lost his best friend.

"He blamed Kirito-kun and, by extension, the rest of the **Beta Testers**. Kirito-kun laughed at him and confessed that was not just a **Beta Tester**. He said he had been the best of all of them and that most of the **Beta Testers** had been new. He said we were even better than they were. Kibaou called him a cheater. The term '**Beater**' came from a mixture of **Beta Tester** and cheater. He accepted the term, asking us not to confuse him with the other **Beta Testers**. Then he left. You know the rest."

"He said he was a son of Hades. When was he **Claimed**? Do you know?" Percy questioned, setting his blue drink aside.

"Why would you want to know?" asked Travis.

"I don't know. Just curious."

"But that's Annabeth's thing." Connor shut up after Annabeth **Athena Glare**d him.

"I think most of the **Beta Testers** were **Claimed** during the Beta," Asuna answered "I don't know if the **Claiming** system reset, but Kirito-kun was **Claimed** while he was maniacally laughing. It was kinda creepy."

"Maniacally laughing?" Katie asked. "I mean, he seemed like a jerk, but he didn't seem evil."

"I think it's a front," Asuna responded. "I overheard his and Diabel-san's talk while he was dying. Apparently Diabel-san was a **Beta Tester** as well. He asked Kirito-kun to unite all the players. I think he's playing the villain so the others can be accepted. That would explain why he was **Claimed** at that time. Some would consider playing a villain for that reason an **Act of Courage**."

"That sounds pretty noble of him," said Travis skeptically, "if it's true. Do you have anything else to tell us about Kirito?"

"He told me to join a **Guild**," she said slowly. "He said a solo player could only go so far, even though he himself is a solo player."

"Hmmm," Annabeth hummed. "So he told you to not do what he was doing and to find people to help you? That certainly supports your conclusion."

"Uh, what's a **Guild**?"

"Darn it, Connor," said Annabeth in an exasperated tone. "Did none of you boys read the manual?"

"Uh . . ." "Nope!" "Not really." And "I read the first page!" were the answers that Percy, Nico, Connor, and Travis gave respectively.

"A **Guild**," Agil said, responding to Connor's previous question, "is an official, permanent party that has no upper limit to the number of members it can have. In order for a **Guild** to form, they must meet certain qualifications including: a Crest, at least five members at the start, and an official leader. The problem is the manual said **Guild**s could only form after a certain quest is completed. Where that quest is located is a mystery."

"Thank you, Agil-san," said Asuna while taking a drink. "My throat was getting dry."

* * *

"So what do you guys think?" Percy asked as he slashed across the side of a **Greek Boar**, this floor's monster, removing its remaining health and causing it to burst. He and the gang were farming for **EXP** in the fields outside the city. They had talked with Asuna and Agil for a few more minutes before the two had to leave to find a place to stay until the next floor was unlocked or the portal gate became open.

"I don't know what to think." said Annabeth, beheading her own boar and causing it to break into pieces. "I don't have all the data I need."

"I wanna fight him!" shouted the twins simultaneously before they glared at each other. "No, I'm gonna fight him! Stop copying me! No, you stop! No, you! Quit it! Fine!" They turned away from each other as the rest of the group broke into a short bout of laughter.

"I think he sounds like a cool guy," said Nico, dodging a charge from the boar he was fighting. "That self-sacrificing theory Asuna told us about sounds like something you'd do, Percy."

"Wow, Nico." Thalia said, shooting a boar through the neck. "I didn't know you knew a word like theory."

"You wanna go, Thalia?"

"A shrimp like you ain't worth my time," she said. Thalia then shot the arrow she had notched; killing the boar Nico had weakened and stole half of its **EXP**.

Nico was about to attack her when Katie said, "Thalia! Stop it. That was uncalled for. Here Nico. You can kill my boar. I'll just wait for another to respawn." The boar in question was struggling to free itself from some vines that Katie had grown to keep it from attacking her while she berated Thalia for provoking him on purpose.

"Fine. Thank you Katie." Nico then stabbed the struggling monster, causing it to break like all those before it.

"Well," said Percy, butting into the conversation. "We've cleared out this hillside, so what do you say we go back the village? You guys can rest. I want to practice my **Skill: ****Water Control**, in the fountain."

"Sounds like a plan." said Annabeth. "Let's go!"

**End of Chapter 5**

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**Please review!**


	6. Moving Up

**Chapter 6:**

**Moving Up **

A week passed by before the last server beat their first **Boss** and was 'welcomed' by Ares. The earlier players had mapped out the entire floor before half of the servers arrived, but the **Boss Room** did not appear until the final group made it into the city. The **Beater **was rarely seen, only discovered around meal times every few days (everyone's clocks were synced the day after Akihiko's speech). He would be swarmed by fangirls, make some excuse, and fade into the shadows. Kibaou would appear several minutes later, searching for and/or cursing the **Beater**.

The Stoll twins became relatively well known after being **Claimed** as children of Hermes. They had been shopping for new swords, but were 100 drachmas (the money of **DHO**) short for two blades and decided to 'borrow' it from the male Chinese player in the room next to them. They had used a new **Skill** they unlocked, **Lock Picking**, to sneak in when they thought he was away.

They had just swiped the money when the player walked out of his bathroom with a towel around his waist, noticed them, and angrily grabbed his war-hammer from a nearby table. The Stolls made a beeline for the door followed by the hammer-wielding, towel-wearing player. It was a very comical scene: the Stolls running down the hallway, laughing with winged shoes shimmering over their heads, and the not-so-dressed and royally angry Chinese player following and yelling obscenities at them. They lost him in the crowded streets.

The second **Floor Boss**, **Ares' Boar**, was defeated with few casualties the day after the troops of the final server arrived. The third floor was beaten a week later, along with the **Guild**-unlocking quest.

Percy and his friends formed their own **Guild **with Percy as the leader: **The Heroes of Olympus**.

The main **Front-Liners**, as those fighting on the highest floor were called (about 75 players in all), were gathered in a large cave outside the fourth **Floor Dungeon**. A meeting was taking place to plan for the upcoming battle and was being lead by Asuna, who had been C**laimed** as a daughter of Athena (and Annabeth's sister) after the last **Boss Fight.** She and Kirito had both stabbed the **Boss**, some vine monster called **Demeter's Experiment**, at the same time. Helping her was Agil who was still unclaimed.

The **Beater **was also present, leaning against a pillar in the shadows and away from everyone. He was silent and observant, nodding every now and then as Asuna spoke. The **Floor Boss** was called **The Original Hydra**. Supposedly it had eight heads as opposed to the usual seven and could spit acid and breathe fire. It would also have 50 regular **Hydra**s for S**entinels**.

If they could beat it, many players would be **Claimed**, giving them more **God-Power Skills** like **Water Control**, **Plant Control**, and **Athena Glare**. These **Skills** would power-up the players, giving the them a better chance of survival and help everyone escape sooner.

"We'll follow the same strategy that beat the second and third **Bosses**," Asuna stated in an even voice. "Take out the **Sentinels** before spamming the **Boss**. It defeated them with few losses and it will beat this one. I see we have some of the same groups here." She turned to the individuals as she spoke to them. "**Heroes of Olympus**, **Knights of the Blood Oath**, Kirito-kun."

"Asuna-san," the **Beater **responded with a hint of a smile. "I see you took my advice and joined a **Guild**. **Knights of the Blood Oath**, correct?" He said this while gesturing at her armor, which was the standard regulation armor of said **Guild**.

"Yes I did," she replied. "I see you're still solo. I thought the paralysis monsters would have gotten you unless you teamed up with someone."

"Those things? They couldn't get me if I cut my legs off."

"If you say so. Anyway, **Knights of the Blood Oath** will distract the **Boss** while everyone else takes the **Sentinels**. After they're gone wait a few seconds to see if the **Boss** has any tricks. Same for when it's health reaches the red. Is everyone ready? Let's do this!"

The end of her speech was met with cheering as the group quickly filed out of the meeting cave.

* * *

Around 75 players were standing in a hallway that led to two large doors. The doors were made of polished bronze and were decorated with an image of Heracles fighting a hydra. Asuna approached the door before turning around.

"Alright," she stated. "This is the **Boss Room** of the fourth **Floor Dungeon**. Does anyone have anything to say before we enter?"

"I do," said Kirito as he stepped out of the shadows to the group's left; he was cut off by Kibaou, who had been trying to pinpoint the **Beater** for the last three floors (he missed the meeting because he overslept and barely arrived in time and Kirito would disappear soon after each **Boss Fight**).

"You! I still have a bone to pick with you, you son of a bitch!" (A/N sorry for the bone pun. It was not intended.)

"Not now Kibaou-san," said Agil, grabbing the collar of his shirt to hold back the irate son of Ares. "Wait until after the battle, please. He IS the strongest player in the game. We need him."

"Whatever," growled Kibaou. He pulled his shirt out of Agil's grip and stomped in the opposite direction.

"As I was saying, remember the myth of the hydra. For every head you cut off, two more regrow. Do NOT try to behead it. Only slash at the body, not the necks."

"Thank you, Kirito-kun. Now let's take down this overgrown lizard!" Asuna turned and pushed the door open as the crowd behind her cheered.

The doors separated to reveal a riverbank. Moss flourished on the moist stones that surrounded a river that bisected the room as it flowed from left to right. The **Floor Boss** was standing (well not really since it didn't have legs) next to a mangrove tree. The **Boss** was about 15 feet tall and had a dull brown skin color. It had eight heads like they had been told and was balancing itself on a snake-like body and tail. In its hands was a form; it was eating something. Upon noticing the **Boss Raiders** that had entered its room the **Boss** threw its meal in their direction.

When it landed it looked like a person.

"Oh God!" shouted one of the **Raiders**. "It's a player!"

"No it's not!" Asuna responded trying to keep the scared players from fleeing. "It's an **NPC**, just an attempt to scare us. When you die, your body disappears. This body is here so it's not a player."

"Asuna-san is right," Kirito said while walking to the front to stand alongside her, pulling out his sword in the process. "It did the same thing in the Beta. I thought Akihiko would have removed it because it was so gruesome. I guess not."

By then, the **Hydra Sentinels** had appeared, hissing in a threatening way. Every now and then a couple heads on a **Hydra** would snap at each other. The **Boss' Health Bars** appeared; four bars.

"Well," Percy said as he drew his sword. "They don't look like they want to have a friendly chat." He received a few chuckles for his sarcasm.

"Ready?" Asuna asked as the beasts hissed a war hiss (it's like a war cry, but different). "CHARGE!"

Both groups ran (well the **Sentinels** slithered), weapons and talons glowing do to the chosen **Skills **being prepared. The **Knights of the Blood Oath** held back for a split-second to aim for the **Boss** as the other players charged before joining in. Kirito and the **Heroes of Olympus** (minus Thalia who was with the archers) were leading the charge. Percy used his **Water Control** to call a wave from the river. It crashed into the front row of monsters, instantly killing one or two and damaging others.

Kirito, who was wielding a **Midnight Black Blade** he received from the **third Floor Boss' Last Attack Bonus **(Asuna got** Claimed**, he got a sword, they were happy sharing the bonus), put on a burst of speed and slashed across some of the damaged **Hydra**s. They hissed in pain before bursting, but were quickly replaced with the monsters behind them.

The rest of the **Raiders** arrived about then, crashing into the other hoard and stopping the charge in the middle of the river. Arrows flew over the players' heads in an almost steady stream causing panic in the **Hydra Sentinel** ranks. Lightning would strike from time to time as children of Zeus used it to decimate the opposing forces.

The children of Poseidon were monsters on the battlefield gaining strength, stamina, and health from the water flowing past the feet of the players. Many of them were fighting multiple enemies at once. Percy used his **Water Control** ability to disorient his enemies or block their **Acid Spit**** Skill** before killing them.

Halfway through the battle Nico cried out in pain; he had taken an **Acid Spit** to the shoulder. As he yelled the ground underneath him opened and a skeletal hand rose out of the crevice, followed closely by the rest of the skeleton and others like it. The skeletons (seven in all) were armed with broadswords and shields. As players backed away in fright, the skeletons turned to the **Hydra Sentinels** and attacked. A medic appeared and helped Nico regain his health by feeding him **Ambrosia and Nectar** as the skeletons fought the monsters.

The frightened players, heartened by the reinforcements, charged with renewed vigor. From that point on the **Sentinels** didn't stand a chance. The children of Poseidon, Kirito, and Nico's skeletons, decimated a large portion of the monsters. The other players killed what was left.

The last **Hydra Sentinel** burst into blue polygons and the group turned to the **Floor Boss**. It had five of its eight heads hanging limply and only a bar and a half of health out of its original four (one head died for every half bar lost). The middle head sucked in before releasing a **Fire Breath** attack aimed at the **Blood Oath Knights** it was fighting, but the ability did not damage any of the players as far as The **Heroes of Olympus** could tell. Asuna then jumped in, stabbing it multiple times with her **Warrior's Rapier** so quickly the players could not see the tip of the sword, only a flash of light. She rolled out of the way of the **Original Hydra**'s claw after landing as it swiped as her for removing its third **Health Bar** and killing another one of its heads.

Kirito ran in and sliced an X into the monster's body causing it to cry out in pain. Agil, wielding his **Giant's War Hammer**, spring-boarded off of the **Boss**' claw as it swiped again and smashed his hammer into the face on the players' right. There was a realistic 'SNAP' as the head turned suddenly. The **Boss**' final **Health Bar** dropped to its halfway point instantly and the head hung at an angle different than the others.

The final head let out a blood-curtailing roar and it shot a **Fire Breath** attack at Agil. The attack would have hit him if Percy had not called a wave to absorb the flames. A player ran at the **Boss **and sliced a cut down the monster's remaining head hoping the headshot would kill it and win him the **Last Attack Bonus**.

The opposite happened.

The head split down the middle like intended, but both halves began regenerating into two new heads, along with the last **Health Bar**'s health, as the player fell. The monster's giant hand swung, it's claw impaling the falling player. He let out a gasp as his health was reduced to the yellow and falling.

"No! Castor!" shouted a player, who looked exactly like the one skewered on the **Boss**' claw, while running at the **Original Hydra**. He must have been Castor's brother because they had similar cursors: a wine glass with a grape vine wrapped around it.

"Sorry, Pollux," Castor coughed from his spot on the monster's claw, "but I'm not gonna make it home to mom." His health was in the red now and he was panting; red polygons, indicating damage, continued to flow from his puncture wound and into the surrounding air. "I made the mistake of charging. It's not your fault. Tell mom 'I love you' for me, would ya?" With that his avatar broke, blue polygons floating away from his last position were all that was left of him as the breaking glass sound echoed in the room.

"Castor," Whispered Pollux as he fell to his knees. The **Boss** shot an **Acid Spit** at him, but Percy saved him with a wave like he had with Agil. Pollux stood slowly, his eyes covered by shadows from his hair.

He screamed. His cry, scarier than any monster's call, rung through the **Boss Room**. Vines, grape vines, burst out of the ground around the **Boss **as a deep purple glow surrounded the player. They latched onto the monster and pulled, bending it backwards and immobilizing the monstrous **Hydra** against the ground. The vines wrapped around its body, arms, tail, and necks so the **Boss** could only see the players out of the corners of its eyes. Its live mouths were pointing away from the **Boss Raiders** and the living heads were unable to move.

Pollux ran at the trapped **Boss**, leaping on its chest and slashing. The monster yelled, breathed fire, and spit acid from its mouths as Pollux cut into its body again and again and again. He had a crazed look in his eyes as he alone decimated the **Boss**' last **Health Bar**. The **Original Hydra** had only a sliver of health left when Pollux stopped. He raised his sword over his head.

"This is for my brother, you bastard!" He plunged the sword into the monster's chest where the heart would be reducing the **Boss**' health to zero. It hissed before bursting, dropping Pollux and his grape vines onto the mossy floor.

No one celebrated when the '**CONGRATULATIONS**' message appeared and the trumpet fanfare played. Pollux dropped to his knees and fell onto his side, letting out great heaving breaths. Some players (including Nico) received their **Claimed** messages (Nico was a son of Hades like Kirito), but no one moved.

"Castor," he sobbed as he ignored the **Level-Up, Skill Unlocked, **and** Last Attack Bonus** messages in front of him, the **Boss Raiders** hearing his voice in the completely silent room. "Castor, but . . . But we promised. We promised we would make it back to mom," he sniffled before shouting. "WE PROMISED!" A short girl who looked to be about nine years old with amber hair in two messy pigtails, ruby-red eyes, and a dove cursor walked up to him. She dropped to her knees, picked him up, and hugged him. He froze for a moment before hugging her back and sobbing, soaking the shoulder of the girl's dark blue shirt. She rubbed his back, whispering consoling words in his ear.

Kirito walked over to them. He dropped to one knee and laid a hand on Pollux's shoulder, saying nothing. Annabeth did the same. After a few minutes Pollux's crying had reduced to a few sniffles.

"It's my fault," he stiffed. "It's all my fault. I should have stopped him."

"It's not your fault," said Kirito firmly. "It's Akihiko's fault. He trapped us in this death game. He trapped us here, but we're going to get out. We're gonna get out and see our families and friends again."

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" Pollux asked/screamed as he stood and rounded on Kirito. "MY TWIN BROTHER IS DEAD! HE'S DEAD AND-" he stopped from shock when Kirito slapped him across the face, exciting gasps from the crowd and reducing Pollux's health by three.

"Your twin brother is in a better place than this death trap and it's your job to make it home and fulfill his last wish. It's your job to make it out of this game and tell your mom he loves her."

"Your right," said Pollux quietly, overcoming his shock. "And once I've done that I'm gonna find Kiyaba Akihiko and kick his ass into the next century. For Castor and all the other players who died." Pollux walked over to the doors to the fifth floor. He pushed the double doors open and turned around.

"FOR CASTOR!" He yelled, the other players taking up the call with him, using Castor's name or names of those they had lost. He turned and walked through the doors, followed by the rest of the players.

**End of Chapter 6**

* * *

**So what did you guys think? Personally I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I really want to hear your comments. Also, I want to change my username, but can't think of anything. Any suggestions? **

**Until next week - Bye!**


	7. Daughter of Love and Son of Madness

I want give a big Thank You to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. This chapter feels relatively boring to me, but it's really important. Just as a forethought, I own nothing that appears in a book series or anime. Why would I be writing fanfiction if I did? One NPC is based off of Pirate101's Hawkules which is based on Hercules. I do own the character Conor Akeas, but he does not appear very often.

And a very special Thank You to **TheSilenceIsVast** for helping me find a new pen name. You rock dude.

Another announcement: this story has now passed the 750 views mark and the 250 visitors mark! I never expected so many people to read my work. Thank you to everyone. Sorry for my rambling, on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 7:**

**The Daughter of Love and The Son of Madness**

The **Boss Raiders** were walking along a beach on floor 5 of **Demigod Heroes Online**, the sun setting over the water, turning the sky a beautiful orange. They were following Pollux, the player who had just single-handedly eliminated a fourth of the fourth **Floor Boss**' health out of anger for his twin's death. Walking with him was a young, pretty girl who had brown pigtails and dark blue clothes that the **Heroes of Olympus (HOO)** did not know the name of. Behind them were the **HOO** and the **Beater**. He was giving Nico 'son of Hades' tips on **God-Power Skills** he would unlock. One of them was called **Shadow Travel**; that **Hades Skill** was the reason Kibaou had such a hard time finding him. Another was called **Raising of the Damned**. That was the skill he had used in the previous battle to summon a total of seven **Skeletal Warriors**. They continued their trek until the Raiders arrived at the gate of a new city. As they entered a figure, much like Ares on floor 2, was standing there.

"Hello. My name is **Heracles, Son of Zeus**," the now identified Heracles said. "I would like to welcome you to **Heraklion, the City of Heracles**. That's me by the way. Did I mention my father is Zeus?" He continued to ramble on about how Heraklion was the capital of the island of Crete, the City of Heracles ("that's me by the way!"), and how his father was Zeus ("Zeus is king of the gods so that makes me a prince! Zeus is my father just so you know!").

"Would you SHUT UP?" shouted Thalia after about five minutes. "We get it. You're an arrogant prick whose father is a powerful god. Are you done talking yet?" Heracles looked at her for a few seconds before laughing.

"HAHAHA! I like this one's spirit! It almost rivals my own! You must be **Claimed** by now! Tell me, who is your sire?"

"I don't know," Thalia answered with a pout while crossing her arms. "I haven't been **Claimed** yet."

"Really? Well I'm sure it'll happen soon. I remember when I was **Claimed **by Zeus. He's my father by the way! And here," he said indicating Pollux who was standing to the side, "is the biggest Hero of the fight! Why, that reminded me of the time I killed the hydra! No one had told me not to behead it and it had 50 heads by the time I finished it off. I remember my father was so proud. My father is Zeus by the way."

"Whatever you say," said Kirito as he stepped forward. "I'm Kirito. Son of Hades. Which way to the inn?"

"Son of Hades you say? That makes you my cousin. I haven't met many of my cousins despite all my danger-filled, monster slaying adventures. Many of my adventures made my father very proud of me. My father is-"

"Your father is Zeus. We know," said Kirito, cutting off the **NPC**. "Which way to the inn?"

"Well aren't you impatient," Heracles said. "It's down the alley directly behind me. About three quarters down on the right." Kirito walked around the **NPC** before he had finished talking. "How rude of him. Oh, well. I'm not surprised since he's one of Uncle Hades' kids. Anyway, who would like to hear of my many heroic adventures?" The crowd quickly followed Kirito away from the talkative **NPC**.

* * *

"So, my name is Annabeth, daughter of Athena," said Annabeth, "and this is Percy, son of Poseidon, Nico-Hades, Thalia-unclaimed (Thalia pouted again at the reminder), Katie-Demeter, Travis and Connor-Hermes. Together we are the **Heroes of Olympus**." They were sitting around a table outside a café across from the town's inn with Pollux and the mysterious girl who had comforted him as the sun touched the sea in the distance.

"My name is Pollux, son of Dionysus."

"And I'm Silica," the girl responded with a bright smile. "Daughter of Aphrodite. I'm 13, so don't call me a kid."

"Really? You look like you're- aggh (Annabeth had stomped on his foot) old enough to care for yourself," he finished lamely. It didn't really hurt (the pain absorbers in the game prevented anything less than being stabbed from causing any sort of pain), but he gasped out of reflex.

"You really mean that? Thank you, Percy-kun." Silica obviously wasn't a child of Athena, but her use of the Japanese honorific hinted to those around her of Silica's home country.

"So where are you guys from?" Annabeth asked trying to change the subject. "All seven of us are from America: New York City. And I'm guessing that you're from Japan, Silica."

"Your right! I always wanted to visit New York, but I live in Tokyo (A/N I think? Feel free to correct me and I'll fix it later). Plus I don't know a lot of English."

"But you're speaking English right now," said Travis causing Annabeth to face palm as Katie whispered about the translator programmed into the game in his ear. How he went this long without knowing Annabeth had no idea.

"Anyway," Pollux cut in, "I'm from Kansas (A/N I don't know if he's actually from Kansas, but he is in my story)."

"Where is Kansas?" Silica asked.

"Kansas is in the United States like New York," Annabeth answered.

"Oh. So all of you are from America?"

"Yup," Percy said, popping the P.

"Oh cool! In my school I was taking English as a foreign language, but it's really hard."

"Hard?" Connor asked. "I don't think it's that hard. Could you say something for us in English without the translator?"

"The game we is on are peoples dead making," she said slowly in what was an even thicker Japanese accent than the translator before giving them a bright smile, obviously proud of herself.

"Uh . . . that's right, Silica. You know some English," Annabeth said while patting her head; she didn't want the cute girl's good mood disappear. "Hey, Pollux, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"What was that skill you unlocked at the end of the **Boss Fight**?"

"That? I think it was called **Dionysus Skill: ****Insane Fury**. Apparently it's a skill linked with the emotion simulators in the system, specifically anger. If I get overcome by a blinding rage the skill activates, increasing my attack power, speed, and pain absorber levels, but my defense gets cuts in half and I lose some of my mental capacities for the time being."

"Remind me not to get on his bad side." Connor whispered to Travis.

"Well," said Thalia, speaking for the first time since they sat down. "I'm tired, and I'd bet a hundred **Drachma** you guys are too. What do you say we crash for the night? You two can room with us. One room for the girls and two rooms for the guys. We'll grind for **EXP** in the morning."

"I think that's a good idea," said Percy. He was still recovering all his energy after using everything he had in the **Boss Fight**. The group walked across the alley to the inn, ordered three rooms (each room could hold four and they had a total of four girls and five guys), and said goodnight before splitting up and going to bed.

* * *

The **Heroes of Olympus**, Pollux, and Silica were on the beach just outside the city of Heraklion. They had come to relax before heading to the fields to farm for **EXP**, but had stumbled upon a **Sea Monster** that did not seem happy to see them. Pollux and Katie were standing on the beach with their hands in the air, calling plants to wrap the beast. Thalia was shooting at it with her bow, but it wasn't doing much, if any, damage. Annabeth was shouting orders to Percy, who was literally swimming circles around their opponent.

Apparently he could breathe underwater and control the currents with his **Poseidon Skills**. Who knew?

Everyone else was just standing on the beach. They couldn't do anything except give verbal support. Eventually Thalia got angry; she never was a patient person. Thalia growled as she notched another arrow. "I wish this thing would just DIE already." She fired the arrow hoping to hit the monster in the eye, but the **Sea Monster** dodged at the last second.

After five minutes of Aim, Shoot, Miss, Growl, Try Again Thalia was fed up. "GRRRAAAHHH!" she screamed. A bolt of lightning suddenly arched out of the black-haired girl and struck the monster, frying it and causing a sonic boom that forced Percy into the air and away from their convulsing enemy. The **Sea Monster** gave a strangled cry before bursting.

"Uh . . . what just happened?" asked Nico, who had blinked and missed the lightning that ended the fight.

"I think Thalia was just **Claimed**," Annabeth responded as a sky blue glow surrounded the black-haired girl and the symbol of a lightning bolt appeared over her head. Her **Claimed** message read **Congratulations! You have been Claimed! Your parent is Zeus, Lord of the Skies!** She closed the message only to receive another. This one read **Congratulations! Skill Unlocked: ****Electrokinesis**.

"Yes! Finally!" Thalia whooped. "I'm not the unclaimed one anymore!"

"Yeah, and you're the sister of **Heracles**." Nico pointed out. "Have fun with that."

"Shut up Death Breath!"

"Make me Airhead!"

"Dude," said Percy, coming to a realization and stopping the oncoming argument, "we now have children of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades in our small **Guild**. We have members who can unlock some of the strongest **God-Power Skills** in the game! Plus we have Katie for Demeter's **Plant Skills** and the Stolls as our Jack-of-all-trades. We are probably the strongest small **Guild** in **Demigod Heroes Online**!"

"But we can't stop getting stronger," said Thalia who was making static electricity spark off of her fingertips to get used to her new **God-Power Skill**. "Maybe we should start growing by adding more members."

"I think that's a great idea!" exclaimed Percy who was excited by the thought. "Pollux! Silica! Would you two like to join the **Heroes of Olympus**? We could use your help."

"I don't know," Pollux said slowly, weighing the pros and cons. On one hand he would have people to protect him, but he would have to watch out for them as well. What if they died like his brother had? Could he go through that again?

"Come on Pollux-kun. Please?" Pollux was forced to agree after Silica looked at him with her **Puppy-Dog Eyes** (an **Aphrodite Skill**).

"Alright, fine. I'll join. Just stop it with the eyes." He turned away from Silica's cuteness as she cheered. Percy, being the official leader, scrolled through his **Player Menu** until he found the buttons he was looking for. A '**join Guild?'** request appeared in front of Pollux and Silica. Silica accepted quickly; Pollux accepted after she showed him her **Puppy-Dog Eyes** again.

"Well," said Annabeth after breaking up the Stolls from a wrestling match they had started in their boredom. "I think we should head to the **Fields of Crete** on the other side of town. It's almost lunchtime, so we can stop to eat and regain our energy on the way. I hear there are dragons in the fields and lucky people are able to tame them. The class of people who tame monsters in the game are called **Beast Tamers**."

"Ooohhh! I want to try!" exclaimed Silica. "I always wanted a pet dragon after the movie _How to Train Your Dragon_ came out in Japan!"

"Sounds like we have a plan," Percy said. "Good thing it involves food. I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," Thalia mumbled as they began their trek into Heraklion.

**End of Chapter 7**

* * *

**Love it? Hate it? Suggestions? Tell me what you think.**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	8. Digital Dragon

**A special thank you to all those who followed, favorated, and/or reviewed. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter as well.**

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

**How to Train Your Digital Dragon**

The **Heroes of Olympus** walked under **Heraklion**'s western gate on their way to the **Fields of Crete** after a good lunch at the Crete Café. Silica was bouncing around in her excitement at the prospect of becoming a **Beast Tamer**.

"Oohhh! This is so exciting! Are we there yet?" she asked acting like a five-year-old rather than her actual age. Not that the others could blame her. It was a cool idea to have a pet dragon, but if they all got dragons then it wouldn't be special to Silica.

"Hey Silica. Have you thought of a name yet?" Pollux asked causing the youngest girl to pause.

"Ah, no. I haven't thought of a name yet, Pollux-kun. Do you have an idea?"

"Not for yours, no. It'll be your dragon. If I get a pet I know what name I'll use, but that's for me to know and for you to find out. You'll need to find a name on your own, that way it'll have more meaning."

"You're right Pollux-kun. Names, names. Hmmm. I can't think of any good names."

"Silica," Annabeth said to get the Japanese girl's attention while looking behind her at said girl. "Maybe you should wait until after you tamed one. Its appearance may give you an idea." The blond then looked forward - after almost tripping on a rock - to where the Stolls were walking. Well, walking and arguing. Before Annabeth could intervene a growl reached the ears of the group.

They turned to the right to find a large red dragon staring at them. It swung its clawed hands at them in an attempt to damage them, but the attack was intercepted by Percy's sword Riptide. Both Percy and the dragon narrowed their eyes, sizing each other up.

They didn't expect it to breathe fire. The monster nailed Percy in the face with its breath attack leaving the son of Poseidon with seven eighths of his health and a blackened face.

"I don't think this is the one you want Silica," Percy coughed before slicing the beast's muzzle. The combined forces of the **Heroes of Olympus** made quick work of the monster.

And the next one. And the next one. And the next.

The **Heroes of Olympus** traveled across the **Fields of Crete** looking for a dragon for Silica to tame, but their search seemed to be in vain. Every dragon they encountered attacked them without remorse. The group started trudging back to the town as the sun began to set, turning the sky beautiful colors.

"That's a pretty sunset, isn't it?" asked Katie trying to defuse some of the tension caused by their failed adventure. They had stopped on a cliff to watch the beginning of the sunset.

"Yeah. I just wish it was the real sun," Annabeth sighed. "We're really sorry Silica. You know we tried our best."

"Yes, I know. I guess the rumors were false. I'm sorry for getting you guys caught up in a wild goose chase."

"Or a wild dragon chase," Connor joked. Katie smacked him in the arm.

"No Silica. Don't apologize to us," Thalia said. "It's all Percy's fault."

"What? How is it my fault?"

"Your looks drove all the good dragons away," Thalia responded in a mischievous tone.

"MY looks? Maybe they were running away from the sight of your face, Flygirl," he said, not noticing her joking voice

"Flygirl, huh? That's pretty clever for a water boy."

"Princess!"

"Kelphead!"

"Daddy's Girl!"

"Seaweed Brain!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Annabeth shouted hitting both of the cousins with the handle of her knife as she **Athena Glare**d them into submission. "Now I'm tired and want to go back to town to have a nice, warm shower. I don't want to listen to your family squabbles. Come on." She turned and left, leaving the others to catch up.

On their way back something shiny caught Silica's eye. She grabbed the arm of the closest person and dragged Pollux to the item about 40 feet off the path. As the group watched, Silica and Pollux approached a mound capped with a blue, shiny . . . something. Silica bent down and gently rubbed the item with her sleeve and noticed that some of the dirt fell away from the top of the mound. This revealed that the item was buried under the dirt, not sitting on it. She began to remove the outside of the mound, digging until a spherical item was unearthed.

"What is it?" she asked as she picked up the item.

"I don't know," Pollux responded. "Click on it. It should tell you." Silica did so and nearly dropped it in her excitement/surprise.

The item's name read **Dragon's Egg**.

* * *

"I can't believe we found one," said Percy. The **HOO** were sitting around a round table in one of their hotel rooms with the light-blue **Dragon's Egg** in the middle of the table.

"No kidding," Nico said. "I had almost lost hope. I guess we should wait until it hatches. I vote Silica carries it."

"Seconded," said Percy raising his hand.

"Third!" shouted the twins.

"Yup," said Pollux following the joke.

"Aye," Thalia and Katie called together.

"And I agree with them. That makes the vote eight out of nine. Motion carried," Annabeth said as she clapped her hands as a substitute for a judge's gavel. "Silica, you're carrying the egg."

"Well if you say so," she responded as her small hands lifted the egg from the table. She tried to put the egg in her **Item Storage** under her **Player Menu**, but it didn't work. "I can't get it into my **Item Storage**," the Japanese girl said with a hint of annoyance.

"Of course not, Silly," Katie told her, giggling a little at Silica's frustration. "It may be an item, but as an egg it is classified as a living thing. Living things cannot be placed in the **Item Storage**. You'll have to carry it manually."

"But can't we take turns carrying the egg?" the girl asked. That egg was not a light object.

"Nope," Annabeth answered. "The dragon that will hatch will think the first being it sees is its parent. You have to carry it at all times because we don't know when it'll hatch. You want the dragon, don't you?"

"Does this mean I can't fight until the egg hatches? How will I level up? I don't want all of you to leave me in the dust!"

"Oh! I have an idea," Katie announced as she stood. "I met someone in the marketplace this morning who said she was working on her **Blacksmithing Skills**. Maybe she could make you a carrier for the egg so you can carry it and fight at the same time."

"That would be wonderful," Silica said while getting up to search for the blacksmith she was told about.

"Can we wait until tomorrow?" yawned Pollux causing Silica to stop. "It's late and I'm tired. I bet all of you are too."

"Pollux is right," Percy stated. "We'll see this blacksmith tomorrow. Good night guys. I'm going to bed." The group separated as they went to their rooms to settle for the night.

* * *

Silica cradled her **Dragon's Egg** as she lay in her bed, the quiet snoring of the other girls in the background telling her she was the only one awake. "I can't wait until you hatch," she whispered to her egg before falling asleep like the others. If she were still awake she would have heard a soft 'coo' coming from inside the egg lying in her arms.

**End of Chapter 8**

* * *

**A/N Guess who's coming next chapter! Anywho, I need some help from you guys. I am only one high schooler trying to write a good story and I need some ideas for later chapters. If any of you have _any_ ideas for Bosses, floors, story arcs, _anything_, please contact me via PM or a review. Until next Friday,**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	9. Blacksmith and An Oracle

**This was originally two separate chapters, but chapter 10 was just too short for my standards. As a result, y'all get an extra long chapter. Enjoy. I will be away on vacation next week, but I will try to update on Friday. If I don't, don't freak out; I will post on Sunday, probably, maybe.**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**A Blacksmith and an oracal**

The members of **Heroes of Olympus** were walking through the marketplace after breakfast. Unfortunately, many of the players were packed into **Heraklion** trying to help beat the game. That would help at the **Boss Fight**, but with everyone in one area it became very hard to maneuver. Poor Silica was having a hard enough time moving and carrying her **Dragon's Egg** at the same time without the crowds.

The reason the **HOO **were in the market place and not out in the fields was their search for a certain blacksmith Katie had mentioned the previous night. Katie had described her as a shorthaired, brunette girl with brown eyes, probably a red and white outfit with a poofy skirt, and a bow around her neck. Katie also guessed she was from Japan from the way she talked. Her name was Lizbeth according to the daughter of Demeter. After half an hour the **Heroes** met each other at the hotel.

"So no luck?" Percy asked, getting nods of agreement. "Where should we look next?"

"We could try the **Fields of Crete**," Annabeth said.

"Or the weapon shops," Pollux suggested.

"Or the beach," Connor pointed out.

"Or you could turn around to see her coming down the stairs," Katie stated. The **Heroes** spun around to see a player who matched Katie's description walking down the staircase, swinging a hammer in her right hand that matched the one on her flaming cursor. Some of the group vaguely remembered her from the **Boss Fight**. She noticed them starring at her.

"Can I help you?" she asked in an irritated voice before she saw the daughter of Demeter among them. "Wait. Katie-san? It is you! These must be the friends you were telling me about yesterday. What can I do you, **Heroes of Olympus**?"

"We have a challenge for you," Katie said hoping Lizbeth wouldn't turn down a chance to test herself in a non-life-threatening way. "Silica here has a **Dragon's Egg** she has to carry around until it hatches, but she wants to still help us fight. Do you think you could make a holder for the egg so Silica can carry it and still fight?"

"Can I build a holder for a **Dragon's Egg**? HA! Are most solo players children of Hades? Yes, I can build one. Lizbeth, daughter of Hephestus, at your service. I was actually on my way to buy some materials. Silica-san, right? Why don't you join me to help pick the stuff for your holder?"

"Ok? How long should it take?"

"Not too long," Lizbeth answered. "Mostly I need your measurements so I don't buy too much."

"Well it's settled then," Percy interjected. "Silica, you'll go with Lizbeth to get your holder made and the rest of us will go farm **EXP** in the fields. How long will it take to make the holder itself?" The last question was directed at the blacksmith standing with them.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe an hour. Two hours max."

"Ok then. We'll go farm for an hour and thirty minutes before coming back. Sound good?"

"I'm in!" Annabeth called.

"Let's go!" shouted the Stolls.

"Sure. Why not?" asked Pollux with a shrug.

"Ditto," Nico said.

"Someone will have to keep Death Breath in line," Thalia said causing Nico to glare at her and Lizbeth to giggle at the nickname.

"And I'll go to keep Airhead controlled," said Katie causing Lizbeth to go from giggling to laughing. As Lizbeth laughed, she didn't notice her hair had begun to smoke before it burst into flames. Percy freaked out and doused her with water from the hotel fountain to put out the fire.

"What the heck?!" Lizbeth shouted, shivering from the cold fountain water.

"Sorry," Percy apologized. "Your hair was on fire. I didn't know what else to do."

"Whatever. For your information, all children of Hephestus have at least 25% resistance to fire-based attacks. Some of them, like yours truly here, are able to control fire and are 100% resistant, but when we get excited, like with humor or grief, our control over our **Hephestus Skills** goes to crap. I was laughing, so my hair caught fire without my notice. Got it?"

"I guess that makes since. When did you find out you were fireproof?" Percy asked before Annabeth could voice the same question.

"The **Boss Fight**. I was saving Asuna-san from one of the **Boss**' **Fire Breath** attacks. I pushed her out of the way and the attack hit me. Instead of dying, I just felt this tickling feeling. I was about to join the fight again, but before I could realize what was happening Pollux-san started screaming. After the battle I got my **Claimed** message and unlocked my **God-Power Skill**."

"What is your **God-Power Skill**?" Travis questioned.

Instead of answering, Lizbeth held her hand out as tongues of flame danced across her fingers. She moved the fire to her palm before snuffing it out. Lizbeth then focused a little until the end of her nose burst into flames. She pat the fire out after a few seconds. The daughter of Hephestus looked to her upper-left where all the players had their clocks.

"We have to go!" she exclaimed. "I have to meet up with Asuna-san at 1:30! It's already noon! Come on Silica-san!" Lizbeth grabbed the younger girl's wrist and ran out the door, dragging the daughter of Aphrodite after her.

"Wait Lizbeth-san!" Silica cried, her voice fading as she was pulled farther away. "This egg is heavier than you think!" The group stood there in silence for a moment before Nico spoke.

"Well that was interesting. Let's go farming!"

* * *

The **Heroes** decided to have a quick lunch before heading to the **Fields of Crete**, so it was 12:20 by the time they got there. Their feet had only moved a few meters before a dragon materialized and attacked them. The **Heroes** responded by drawing their weapons and proceeded to slice into the monster mercilessly. After it died, Percy looked at what they had received. The others began to move on until Percy's voice stopped them.

"Hey guys? Do you know what **Drakon Jerky** is?"

"I think it's a treat some **Drakon** or **Dragon-type** monsters drop," Annabeth answered. "Why?"

"We apparently have several pounds of the stuff after all the farming we did yesterday. Hmm. Sounds good." Percy opened his **Player Menu** and moved to **Guild Items** (**Guilds** have shared storage for groups with each other on their **Friends List**s). He scrolled until he found the button labeled **Drakon Jerky** and clicked on it, moving the quantity withdrawn to one. A strip of dried meat materialized over his hand.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Katie who was a vegetarian. In response, Percy took a medium-sized bite out of the jerky in his hand. Everybody leaned in, waiting for his reaction. He had a thoughtful look as he chewed and swallowed before his face brightened.

"This is delicious!" he exclaimed and took another bite. The others (minus Katie) opened their **Player Menu**s and repeated his process. They all had similar reactions to the food. If they had not had lunch only minutes before they would have devoured all the **Drakon Jerky** they had. Even so, they almost did; only Katie stopped them.

"Guys, stop!" the daughter of Demeter yelled. "Quit stuffing your faces! We have just over an hour to farm for **EXP** and you're wasting it eating!"

"Yeah. Katie's right," Travis sighed. "We'll have to wait until he head back to the hotel and introduce Silica to **Drakon Jerky** to eat the rest of it!"

"Until then we'll just have to stock up," Thalia said.

"Hey, look!" Nico said. "There's a dragon over there!"

For the next hour and ten minutes any player who came to the **Fields of Crete** to get **EXP** were unable to find a single dragon and the **HOO **gained enough **Drakon Jerky** to last them three months.

**MEANWHILE WITH SILICA AND LIZBETH**

Silica was standing in Lizbeth's hotel room with her arms extended to each side and her **Dragon's Egg** sitting on a table next to the back wall. Lizbeth was using a tape measure to find the various lengths of her body while trying to maintain the conversation.

"So how old are you, Silica-san?" asked Lizbeth as she measured the girl's arm.

"Thirteen," the younger girl responded. "My birthday happened about three weeks before **DHO**. I got the **Nerve Gear** for by birthday."

"Oh. That's nice. I turned fifteen a couple months ago." Lizbeth bent down to read the measurement she had for Silica's waistline.

"Lizbeth-san?"

"Please call me Liz. It's easier."

"Oh. Ok. Liz-san, is that your natural hair color?" Lizbeth's hair was a couple shades darker than Silica's Amber. Because of that, Silica's hair looked almost dark blond in the right lighting and she was hoping to find a way to dye it a darker brown. Lizbeth paused for a second before answering.

"Yes it is, but I don't like it that much. I was thinking about dying it a brighter color, like pink or something."

"But Liz-san, it's a nice color as it is. I would want my hair a darker shade like yours."

"You're right. It is a nice shade to some people, but I just don't like it. Would you like to help me dye it later tonight?"

"If you insist. Do you already have a color in mind?"

"I was thinking about like a rose shade of pink." By this point Lizbeth was connecting lengths of leather together on a table next to where Silica had been standing. The girl in question had walked across the room to retrieve her egg from its resting place.

"Oh. I think that's a lovely color! It would go well with your clothes!"

"Thanks. Come over here so I can help you get this on."

"You're done already? Wow! That was fast."

"Well it's not perfect," the blacksmith said as she held up the egg holster. "It was kind of a rush job. I can tweak it tonight when you're helping me dye my hair. Ok?"

"Ok!" the daughter of Aphrodite exclaimed as she rushed over to the other girl. She gently set the egg on the ground as Lizbeth hooked the holster around her waist and over her shoulders. After fastening the last hook on the front, Lizbeth lifted the **Dragon's Egg** and placed it in a leather basket on the back of the holster before hooking two strips of leather over the egg to secure it in place.

"Now that it's on, you should be able to just equip it. How does it feel?"

"Thank you Liz-san! It's great! I feel like I'm carrying a backpack," Silica said as she slowly spun in a circle to test the holster's security. It stayed fastened as she spun faster and faster. She stopped spinning and wobbled as she regained her bearings. "Oh. I'm dizzy, but it works. Thank you!"

"It's no problem. I'll just charge your** Guild** for my services. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for a meeting with my friend."

"Ok Liz-san! Thank you again" Silica walked out the door to wait for her friends to return."

* * *

"Hi guys!" Silica called to her **Guild** as she stood under **Heraklion**'s western gate. She waved to them as they walked back visibly pleased. The **Heroes** jogged the remaining distance too their final member before greeting her.

"Look what I have," she said as she spun, revealing the **Dragon's Egg** in its new holster on her back. The egg sparkled in the sunlight as she spun.

"That's wonderful," Annabeth told her. "Is it comfortable? Did Lizbeth say anything about maintenance?"

"Yes, it is comfortable. Thank you for asking. No, she didn't say anything about maintenance. She just said she'd charge the **Guild** for her services."

"Did she say how much by any chance?" asked Pollux

"No. Just something about extra costs for the short notice or something like that."

"Great," everyone deadpanned, extending the word to voice their sarcasm.

"Well," Percy said, "we have good news as well. We found some delicious food called **Drakon Jerky**. Here, try some." He passed the younger girl a strip of said food after going through the process of materializing it from the **Guild** **Item Storage**.

She sniffed the treat before nibbling on it. "This is pretty good," she said as she nibbled on it some more, "but it's not the best thing I've ever had. Oh! I almost forgot! I'm going to help Liz-san dye her hair tonight, so I might not be back by the time you are asleep."

"You should have asked us first," Katie scolded the younger girl acting like a mother even though she was only three years older than the **Dragon Tamer**-to-be. "You should be in bed by 10:30 at the latest, OK?"

"Yes Okaa-san," Silica mumbled in a sarcastic tone.

"Okaa-san?" asked Annabeth, curious about the Japanese term. "What does that mean?"

"I know!" Connor exclaimed, taking the chance to show he knew something Annabeth didn't for once and getting funny looks from the New Yorkers that knew him. "It's a Japanese word that means 'mother'."

"And how do you know that?" Percy questioned.

"Uh... well... I kind of read manga in the real world and picked up some of the easier phrases. It was a secret; even my brother didn't know," Connor answered embarrassed.

"Really?" Silica asked with a hint of hope. She bombarded the twin with questions after he nodded. "What mangas have you read? Naruto? Soul Eater? Bleach? Fairytail? Have you watched the animes for them? Which one is your favorite?"

Connor took a breath before answering the girl's questions in order. "A few. Yes. Loved it. No. Yes. Most of them. Soul Eater, but the anime ended."

"I have a question," Percy said, raising his hand to get their attention. "**DHO** has a universal translator, but why wasn't 'mother' translated into English when the 'yes' before it was?"

"Maybe the translator doesn't catch everything," Annabeth thought out loud. "Maybe it was a malfunction. Either way, I like it. It sounds cool and I'm always up for learning new things. Silica, would you help me with a test?" Silica nodded. "When we were talking just now, was there any words you heard that did not sound translated?"

The girl thought for a second. "I heard the word 'mother'. I know it means 'Okaa-san' from English class, but other than that no."

"I have a theory," Annabeth announced after a short thinking break. "I think the **DHO** system does not translate basic phrases like the honorifics. I don't know why, maybe to let the players teach each other to form bonds or something, but that's all I can think of."

"Or the translator has some bugs in it," Katie pointed out. "**DHO**'s tests were separated by country, so the translator could not be tested in the Beta. Maybe Akihiko made the basic translator and thought 'good enough' and left it."

"Either way there's nothing we can do about it," Connor stated. "I say we just go back to the hotel and rest a bit."

"Awww," Silica whined, "but I wanna fight some monsters and didn't get to fight earlier."

"Well you can't go alone," Katie told her.

"I'll go with her," Pollux offered. "I've got nothing better to do and I'm not too tired."

"Thanks Pollux-kun!" cried Silica as she latched onto the son of Madness' arm.

"It's not a problem Silica," he responded.

"Pollux-kun?" Silica asked, looking up at him. "Could you call me 'Silica-chan', please?"

"Uh, sure. Whatever you say Silica-chan." The suffix sounded funny coming from the Kansas-raised boy, but Silica seemed happy.

"Come on!" she shouted, grabbing Pollux wrist and dragging him into the **Fields of Crete**. The girl was stronger than she looked.

"Be back to the hotel by 8:30!" Katie shouted at them as they got smaller in the distance. The group turned away and walked into the city.

* * *

Percy was walking backwards and talking with the twins as they approached the hotel. The three boys were too engrossed in their conversation to see the figure walking out of the hotel. Percy bumped into the person causing both to lose their balance and fall.

"Watch where you're going!" The player yelled, standing up and wiping dust off of his clothes. The player was male with blond hair and pale blue eyes. His figure was like Nico and/or Kirito: way too thin. He was dressed in a purple shirt and jeans with a short sword strapped to his hip. The cursor over his head was a sun with the shadow of a bow-and-arrow in it indicating the player was a **Claimed** son of Apollo.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Percy said as he stood up, revealing that he was a good three inches taller than the son of Apollo in front of him. "What's your name? I'm Percy, son of Poseidon." Percy held his hand out for the newcomer to shake. The player ignored his outstretched hand as he answered.

"My name is Octavian, oracle of Apollo."

**End of Chapter 9**

* * *

**And I'm just gonna leave it there. See you guys later! Remember to review.**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	10. Friends and Enemies

**I told y'all that I'd get this to you today. Just got back from vacation down in Florida, had a great time, went to Harry Potter world, you know- the works. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 10:**

**Friends and Enemies**

"My name is Octavian, Oracle of Apollo."

"Nice to meet you," Percy said with a smile on his face, his hand still out for their new acquaintance to shake.

"Wait," Annabeth stepped beside her black haired friend. "Did you say you were an Oracle?" She got a nod in confirmation. "How is that possible? We are in a game with a set pattern. How could you predict the future?"

"Are you calling me a liar?" The newcomer asked, narrowing his eyes at the daughter of Athena.

"Well, I'm not calling you a truther (y'all get the old reference?). I'm just saying you can't predict the future in a videogame, so you are not an )racle like you claim."

"Yes I am," Octavian growled at her; he must not like it when people doubt him. "The **DHO** system is equipped with an experimental **CARDINAL** program that is always monitoring the players' actions and thoughts to give them challenging situations. The **CARDINAL** program is also always editing **DHO **to compose new quests so we don't run out. Oracles like me can tap into the **CARDINAL** system and use the connection to interpret the updates before they are added and whom they were made for. Yes, it is not 100% accurate, but it is close."

"Yeah right," Travis said. "I highly doubt anyone except Kiyaba Akihiko has the power over **DHO** to do that."

"Fine! Don't believe me! But you will rue the day you didn't listen to Octavian! You will rue the day of . . . Uh. What is today?"

"Uh, December fifth I think," Connor said.

"You will rue the day of December fifth!" Octavian dramatically waved his arms as he stomped away.

"I don't like the looks of that guy," Thalia said as Octavian faded into the distance. "He looks like a scarecrow that attacks panda Pillow Pets."

"Why just _panda_ Pillow Pets?" asked Percy.

"I don't know," she replied. "Just a feeling."

"Anyway," Percy interrupted them, "why don't we chill in the hotel until Pollux and Silica return?"

"Sure. You guys can," Nico said. "I talked to Kirito a couple days ago and he told me how to use **Hades Skill: ****Shadow Travel** and I want to practice since I can almost do it."

Connor and Travis looked at each other before Connor spoke. "While you do that Travis and I are going to break in the room next door to practice our **Hermes Skills**."

"Well if you guys are practicing your powers then I'm going to the fountain to work on my **Poseidon Skills**."

"I think I'll just read a book," Annabeth said, "but Stolls, if you get attacked I won't help you. I just might attack you myself if you interrupt me."

"Understood!" the twins chorused, saluting the blond girl to get on her nerves. With that the group broke up to do whatever they wanted for the time being.

**WITH SILICA AND POLLUX**

In the **Fields**, Pollux and Silica were fighting another Drakon as the sun began to drop toward the horizon. The monster's health was in the yellow while the player's **Health Bars** were still in the high green. Pollux was using this time to teach Silica some of the strategies he and his late brother, Castor, had used. His brother had used a sword so the brothers could switch rolls in their attacks, but since Silica used a dagger Pollux was always blocking the monsters to give the girl an opening to attack. The monster charged again after recovering from the last stab in its chest and an intimidating growl that didn't faze the son of Madness. He blocked its claws, forcing them up and exposing its fleshy underside.

"Now Silica-chan!" he shouted, using the honorific like Silica had asked him to. With a 'right' she slid under the monster and slashed from the neck to the hip. The Drakon let out a pained roar as its health dropped into the red. It pushed off of Pollux's sword with its front claws in an attempt to swash the demigoddess under it, but the demigod in front would have none of that. He swiftly decapitated the beast. The monster swelled and burst into blue polygons and the breaking glass sound filled the plain. As Silica stood, the info boxes telling the players what they received appeared.

"More **Drakon Jerky** and a couple of **Drakon Teeth**. Pretty good haul," the male commented as the Female walked over. He held his hand out for a high five and got one from the younger girl. They x'ed their reports out before hearing someone shouting in the distance and turned to see two players running toward them so fast they had dust clouds in their wakes. As the players got closer, Pollux noted that one was a thin, blond male in yellow with a long nose while his companion was a porky, brunette male in pink. Both males wore only leather and their clothes for armor and their cursors showed them both to be unclaimed. They each took one of Silica's hands when they were close enough with hearts in their eyes.

"Oh my gods!" the skinny one exclaimed. "It's Silica! The **Dragon Tamer** daughter of Aphrodite! She's even prettier in person. Will you be my girlfriend?"

"No!" the other one shouted, "be my girlfriend! I'll treat you better than he can." The newcomers started arguing with each other until Silica hit each of them with the handle of her dagger. The generic players forgot about each other and looked at her waiting for an answer.

"Uh... Well you see," she muttered; the boys shuffled closer to her. Pollux took an unconscious step toward the girl giving her an idea. "You see I already have a boyfriend!" she exclaimed as she latched unto Pollux's torso much to the surprise of all the males present. Pollux, who didn't like the look of the other demigods, took her exclamation in stride and played the part by wrapping his arm around her shoulders, causing the Japanese girl to blush. He pretended to not see the dirty looks he got from the two players in the dust. Pollux pulled Silica away from the players as he used his** Dionysus Skill: ****Grape Vine Control** to anchor the unknown boys in place until they were out of sight.

"I'm sorry about that," Silica said as she released the son of Dionysus with a blush making her face red, "but I couldn't think of another way out of that situation."

"It's OK," Pollux told her as he started chuckling. "Did you see their faces? They were priceless." He started laughing.

The girl started laughing as well. "Haha. They were pretty surprised. And the looks they gave you!" Pollux and Silica started laughing harder than before. As their mirth died out, Pollux looked at the younger girl with a serious face.

"Silica-chan? If that happens again, I don't want you to pretend that I'm your boyfriend." She looked shocked. Does this mean he doesn't want to be her friend anymore? Her head instantly flew through the worst-case scenarios, but she snapped out of her thoughts when he continued. "I want you to be telling the truth."

Silica's brain started shutting down. But, if Silica were to be telling the truth about her dating Pollux then that would mean... Was he asking her out? She looked into his eyes and saw no sign of dishonesty. "Yes," she squeaked as she hugged him. He hugged the shorter girl back with a little trouble from the egg holster around her. After they ended the embrace, Silica asked a question that had been on her mind since the hug had started.

"But why me?" He looked at her with confusion. "I mean I'm not the prettiest or the smartest or the best fighter."

"It's because you're kind. When I lost my brother, you were the first to comfort me. You, someone whom I had never met before, embraced me like an old friend," Pollux started choking up as he remembered that battle. "I-I was so broken that I l-latched onto the f-first person that helped me. That... that was you Silica-chan. You helped me get over my brother's death and became my best friend. And now will you go from being my best friend to my girlfriend?"

"Yes I will," she said as she hugged the son of Dionysus again, the sun setting behind them and turning the sky a beautiful orange.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. Yesterday, you and Silica met 'a couple of weirdoes' who asked her out and you pretended to be her boyfriend to get her out of that situation before actually asking her out even though you've only known each other for about a week?" Annabeth questioned Pollux, who was sitting with his best-friend-turned-girlfriend on the bed in one of the hotel rooms the **HOO** had rented.

"Yes," he answered without hesitating. He reached out and took Silica's hand. "I feel like it's the best thing I've done since we got trapped here." Silica started blushing as he pulled her into his embrace.

"Oh gag me," Nico mumbled.

Thalia whacked him in the back of the head. "Oh, leave them be. If they want to get mushy, let them get mushy. It doesn't affect you."

"Oh, but it does," he responded. "I'm going to be seeing their romance in my dreams, or should I say nightmares, tonight."

"So you can watch people die because of a video game, but a little romance gives you nightmares?" Percy asked his youngest cousin.

" . . . Yes?"

"I think it's sweet," Katie said; she had always been a sap for romance novels if her garden didn't need work, "but I think it's funny that I know of another couple that has yet to realize they are perfect for each other. Oh well. I know it'll happen eventually."

"I thought you were a child of Demeter," Connor said, rolling his eyes. "Not a daughter of Aphrodite."

"So who are you talking about, Katie?" Annabeth questioned without noticing Percy stiffening in the chair next to her.

"Spoilers!"

"Oh come on!" Annabeth shouted, unknowingly covering Percy's sigh of relief. "You know how much I hate not knowing things!"

"To bad. I know when to gossip and when not to, and now is not the time." Katie turned away from Annabeth's annoyed face and started pestering Silica for any details about how she and Pollux got together that her new boyfriend might have left out. Annabeth huffed, making a mental note to try to harass Katie later. Percy made his own note to ask Pollux for relationship advice.

"Hey guys," Travis said, drawing the others' attention. "Did you hear they found the **Boss Room**? They're holding a meeting out by the beach this evening."

"Y'all can do that," Pollux said, "but I think Silica-chan and I are going to pass on this Boss."

"What?! Why?!" exclaimed the majority of the room.

"Well, I don't want to fight in a **Boss Fight** for a while after the last one and I'm not going to let Silica-chan go and be in danger without me to protect her." He pulled her closer, causing Annabeth and Katie the 'awww', Nico to gag, and Percy and Travis to wonder why he was having so much luck when it came to romance.

"If you say so," Thalia said, unfazed by the public display of affection. "Now let's go get some lunch. I'm starving!"

"Yes!" Percy agreed with his female cousin immediately.

* * *

"Hello everyone. My name is Conor Akeas, son of Ares, and helping me lead this Raid meeting are Asuna, daughter of Athena, and Agil, unclaimed." Agil mumbled something under his breath about the **DHO** system hating him and overlooking his **Acts of Courage**. Conor continued, ignoring the bald man's mumbling. "Blankets can be found to your left if you wish to sit on the sand. Anyway, my party found the **Boss Room** last night and has been studying the **Floor Boss** throughout this morning. Asuna, if you would."

"Sure. The information we have on this Boss tells us that our opponent is called **Circe the Sorceress**. She is a **Magic Class Boss** and her attacks include **Fireball**, **Shockwave**, and **Transformation**. Her **Boss Skills** include **Self-healing** and **Sentinel Summoning**. She has only two **Health Bars**, but her **Self-healing** makes up for her lower heath. Any changes in her **Boss Skills** she may have due to damage are unknown, so be prepared for anything. Oh, and she typically targets men. Does anyone have any questions?" Lizbeth, who now had pink hair and was sitting on a blanket not to far from the **HOO**, raised her hand. "Yes Liz-san?"

"You mentioned something called **Transformation**. What is that exactly?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like," Agil said. "What happens is Circe hits a player with a **Transformation** attack, this light blue ray, and they turn into a small animal until they exit the **Boss Room**, or, we assume, until the Boss is defeated. If a player exits the **Boss Room** to undo a **Transformation** they cannot reenter during that fight. We don't know if they are cut out of the winnings or not since Circe has yet to be killed."

"Thank you Agil," Asuna said. "Anyone else have a question?"

"I do." Kirito raised his hand. He was off to the side, alone and away from the rest of the players. He fell backwards into his own shadow and reappeared on the other side of the beach when a couple of fangirls started running toward him. "What about the **Sentinels** you mentioned?"

"Good question," Conor Akeas said, turning to find the Beater's new position. "They are named **Sorceress Apprentice**s, but we'll call them the **SA**'s. The **SA**'s can attack with small **Fireball**s and minor **Shockwave**s, but that's it. Other questions?"

"Yeah, I got one," Percy said, standing from where he had been sitting with his cousins and Annabeth on a blanket, the twins and Katie on a blanket to their right. "What is the **Boss Room** itself like? Hot? Cold? Water anywhere?" The information he was asking for may change their plan if the conditions favored a particular god or goddess' children, like the river in the first or forth floor **Boss Rooms** that had helped the children of Poseidon. Conor remembered Percy's claiming and shook his head.

"Sorry Percy. No river running through the **Boss Room** this time." Percy looked disappointed; he had felt so badass in the river during the last **Boss Fight**. "The room looks kind of like a spa. It's clean and mostly white. The walls are covered with tile mosaics that would cause extra damage if you hit 'em hard enough with your body and fake windows. Keep the good questions coming. Yes, you! I don't we've met before. What's your name?"

"My name is Ron," a ginger with freckles and a British accent answered. The cursor over his head was a torch with green flames. "I am a son of Hecate, goddess of magic. Does she have any potions or something like that?"

"Now that you mention it I did see a bubbling cauldron in the corner of the room, but she didn't use it for anything. Maybe it's just for decoration. Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Alright! Any more questions? No? OK. We'll meet at the base of the **Boss Dungeon** tomorrow morning at 0800 hours. You're dismissed.

**End of Chapter 10**

* * *

**You know, this chapter really got away fom me while I was righting. It felt like I had no control. It kind of just... happened. Oh well, what do you think of that paring? Do you have any other pairings you'd like to see? Remember to review!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	11. Circe the Sorceress

**Disclamer for the begining of this chapter: I edited a portion of Rick Riordan's _The Sea of Monsters_ to fit the videogame setting. All rights go to Uncle Rick.**

**I thought these were a waste of time, but i was wrong. So now: review answers (before I forget):**

**Blacksmith8240: yeah, he does have that effect on people.**

**888aaa22: Maybe I will, maybe I won't. you'll have to read to find out.**

**3WolvenDragon: Like I said in the PM, it was a refernce to _Drake and Josh_, but I only know that because of my lil' sis.**

**OBLIVIONRAIN: I will certainly try, but some things just get changed in the transition from one to the other, ya know?**

**Bobboky: Thanks.**

* * *

**Chapter 11:**

**Circe The Sorceress**

Seven of the nine **Heroes of Olympus** members were standing in the field containing the entrance to the fifth floor **Boss Dungeon** at 7:45. The two members that were missing were Pollux and Silica, the newest members of the small Guild. Pollux had passed on the **Boss Fight** because his late twin had died in the last one and he didn't want to be useless if he had flashbacks or something like that. Silica was not there because Pollux did not want his new girlfriend put in danger if he wasn't there to protect her, so instead they were off farming **EXP** in the **Fields of Crete** on a date to keep their minds off of the battle. They would meet up with the rest of the Guild the next day after the sixth floor **Portal Gate** was turned on.

"Kind of feels like old times, doesn't it?" Nico asked, swinging his legs in the air from a branch he had **Shadow T****ravel**ed to. "I mean, it's just us seven like every Boss before this one."

"Yeah, it does," Connor said in a somewhat shaky voice. His and his twin's hands were twitching with nervous energy, an anxious habit they had developed since being **Claimed**. There wasn't much more to say, so the **HOO** just made small talk about things like the weather until everyone was present at eight o'clock. Without a word Conor Akeas, Asuna, and Agil walked into the **Boss** **Dungeon**, followed by all the gathered players.

* * *

The door to the **Boss** **Room** looked like polished marble. It, like all the **Boss Room** doors before, was carved with intricate designs in many colors. The picture depicted a beautiful woman turning a man into a pig. "Well that's encouraging," a male player commented after seeing the engraving. Asuna, being the only female leader and thus was most likely NOT to be attacked upon entrance, walked forward and pushed the huge doors open.

As the doors opened, a woman's voice flowed through the once closed space. It drifted through the air like a lullaby. Her words were in some language other than Ancient Greek, but just as old- Minoan, maybe, or something like that. Although the translator didn't alter the song's language, the players understood what she was singing about- moonlight in the olive groves, the colors of the sunrise. And magic. Something about magic. Her voice seemed to lift the players off the floor and carry them into the room.

The **Boss Room** was exactly like it had been described the evening before: white floor, beautiful mosaics, bubbling cauldron in the corner, but the thing that attracted everyone's attention was the **Floor Boss** herself. She sat at a loom the size of a big screen TV; her hands weaving colored tread back and forth with amazing skill. The tapestry simmered like it was three dimensional- a waterfall scene so real Percy could see the water moving and clouds drifting across the fabric sky.

Annabeth caught her breath. "It's beautiful."

The woman turned. She was even prettier than her fabric. Her long dark hair was braided with threads of gold. She had piercing green eyes and she wore a silky black dress with shapes that seemed to move in the fabric: animal shadows, black upon black, like deer running through a forest at night.

"You appreciate weaving, my dears?" The woman, no, the **Floor Boss** asked.

"Sorry," Asuna said attracting the Boss' attention, "but I'm afraid we aren't here to talk about your weaving." Asuna unsheathed her rapier. "You see, we are here to move on to the next floor, and you are in our way. Nothing personal, Circe, just business."

"Oh. I see," the Boss responded, her loom fading into a fine mist before vanishing. "So all of you are here to kill little old me? Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going to die that easily." A portal appeared in the palm of her hand as **Circe the Sorceress** grew until she was three times as big as the tallest player. The sorceress threw the portal in her hand at the wall. When it made contact, the insides began to swirl. A few seconds later, about 25 **sentinels** flowed through. The **SA**'s were dressed similar to the **Floor Boss** and their hair (all of them were girls) was done in the same fashion. The first wave each prepared **Fireball** attacks and, as one, threw them at the invading players. Most of the invaders dodged or blocked the **Fireball**s, but not all of them.

"Fire!" Asuna's order carried over the players' heads, followed closely by the 'twang' of bows releasing their arrows. About half of them struck exciting wails of pain and the sound of breaking glass from the wounded and killed **SA**'s. "Charge!" The next order from Asuna's lips barely carried over the war cries for the running players. They slammed into the disoriented **Sentinels** and started massacring the Boss' guardians.

"No!" Circe screamed, watching her followers break into the polygons that indicated death. "You demigods will pay for that!" She sliced her hand threw the air causing a **Shockwave** to fly toward the players. The front row locked their shields together on order of the leading son of Ares like the Spartans had in the real world. They withstood the attack with the only losses being a couple of the weaker shields. While the players were regrouping Circe created two more **Sentinel Summoning** portals and tossed them at the walls on ether side of her person.

The portals made contact like the first and each dispensed 25 **SA**'s. The 50 **Sentinels** (25 on the left, 25 on the right) surged toward the mass of Raiders while preparing their attacks. The players finished regrouping and charged the hoard of **sentinels**, their weapons glowing with **Sword Skills**. The two groups clashed as the **SA**'s fired their various attacked. Blue polygons floated into the air; a mixture of the remains of many **sentinels** and a couple of players who had been weakened by the original **SA**'s **Fireball**s.

"I've had enough of this," Thalia growled to the other archers by the doors. She notched another arrow and charged it with electricity using her **Electrokinesis**. She took aim at Circe, who was preparing another **Fireball**, and let the arrow fly. Circe threw the **Fireball**, but it veered off course at she jerked, electricity sparking through her body. She turned to Stare at the daughter of Zeus, her beautiful face distorted by a scowl.

"You!" the **Flo****or**** Boss** shrieked blocking another lightning arrow from Thalia with a **Shockwave**. "I don't usually attack girls, but for you I'll make an exception!" Circe pointed at Thalia, the end of her manicured finger glowing a light blue. The Boss jerked her hand as if she were firing a finger gun and the light shot from her finger like a bullet.

"Move!" Thalia shouted. The archers in the line of fire dove to the side as the attack drew closer. One archer, a son of Apollo, didn't move fast enough and was hit by the light and turned into a shrew. The new mouse-like animal squeaked in surprise and spun in a circle. The player scurried out the open doors and away from any likelihood of being stepped on by accident and changed back to human form as he exited the **Boss Room**. He turned around to reenter, but hit an invisible wall.

While the unnamed son of Apollo was having his... problems, the **SA**'s were being decimated without their mistress' help. The players had suffered three losses so far, but all the **Sorceress Apprentice**s were defeated. The mass turned to the **Floor Boss** who was surrounded by a green glow that was causing her health to refill from the damage done by Thalia.

The mass charged, attacking whatever part of the Boss they could reach. Kirito, Nico, and some other children of Hades **Shadow Travel**ed above Circe and sliced at her pretty face. The children of Hecate, like Ron from England, and the children of Hephestus with firepowers, like Lizbeth, fired mid-range **Fireball**s and various spells from the center of the room. The archers shot wherever they saw an opening, taking care not to hit a friend by accident.

Around the front of the hoard the **HOO** were attacking Circe's legs mercilessly. The twins, who had been pushed back to the point where they could not reach the Boss, were complaining loudly to be heard above the commotion. Percy, hearing their complaints, had an idea (I know, shocking!). While Circe was trying to turn the males into various small animals (and succeeding once every few tries and said animals fleeing to the doors) he called to the Stolls, telling them to springboard off of his shoulders. The twins took their chance and sprinted to their Guild's leader. He crouched, jumping when he felt their weight and sending them higher than he thought they would go. Circe, who was surrounded, turned hearing the twin's shouts and ended up with two identical and blushing demigods marooned on her generous chest. She shrieked. The thought of one filthy male simply touching her driving her mad, but two? The Stolls, in an attempt to save their ears from the Boss' high pitch shriek, stabbed her in the throat. Her cry turned into an ugly, strangled sound as her first **Health Bar** ran out and her other **Health Bar** dropped considerably. The twin sons of Hermes jumped, landing on some vines summoned by Katie. The Stolls were lowered to the ground in a fit of laughter. Percy casually walked over to them, the Boss wretching and the players laughing in the background. He high-fived the twins.

"Guys!" their leader exclaimed. "That was awesome!" Annabeth came over laughing as well. She too high-fived the identical brothers. The Boss finally stopped gasping having healed her neck. She took aim at the Stolls with a look of pure hate on her beautiful, virtual face; her light blue **Transformation** spell taking shape on her fingertip. It fired off course when she flinched from an arrow piercing her forearm. The light shot toward the blond dagger-wielding girl rather than one of the two twins standing beside her. The son of Poseidon, seeing the attack, quickly pulled her out of the way and inadvertently took her spot. The attack nailed him in the back changing him from a black-haired teen to a cute little guinea pig.

"Percy!" his three friends shouted. He squeaked in response, hopping into Annabeth's outstretched hand. By that time the Boss was once again surrounded and being attacked; the players fighting with renewed vigor after their comedic relief in the form of two identical **Heroes of Olympus **members. Circe was trying to heal herself, but her health was slowly falling; the Boss Raiders causing more damage per second than she could heal. The Boss was unable to perform any counter attack; **Self-healing** taking all her power. The close-range fighters of the **HOO** chose to just watch as the other players fought, chipping away at Circe's health.

Her second **Health Bar** fell into the red. Kirito, who had started sensing a massive power build-up coming from the sorceress thanks to his status as the best of the beta testers, grabbed Agil and **Shadow Travel**ed above the Boss. As a result, Kirito and Agil were the only players not hit by Circe's massive **Shockwave** attack that knocked all the demigods positioned at the floor onto their backs. Agil, taking his chance since Kirito was too tired from the second **Shadow Travel** over the tall **Floor Boss **(with a large companion this time), started an **Ax Skill**. He swung his glowing weapon, cutting into the surprised Boss at the right shoulder, slicing diagonally through her body, and exiting at her left hip.

"No," she gasped, her final **Health Bar** reducing to zero. "Curse you, you filthy males! You- you can't kill me permanently! I- I will return." Her form started becoming fuzzy, the two Japanese players falling behind her. "I will get my revenge! I'm coming for you Ax Wielder! And the disgusting twins, too!" She swelled, her figure going from hourglass to bloated whale in a couple of seconds. With a last strangled noise she burst, her body becoming floating polygons in the air and the glass sound filling the room.

The **CONGRATULATIONS** message and fanfare appeared as the player who earned the **Last Attack Bonus** was **Claimed**, a burning hammer floating over Agil's head revealing him as a son of Hephestus.

**End of Chapter 11**

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter as much as i did writing it! Do you guys (and girls) have any specific myths you want me to use? Remember to Review!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	12. Aftermath

**This was two shorter chapters, but I pride myself on a 2k word minimum per chapter, so y'all get an extra long chapter. Yippee! Plus my average views per day is ranging around 50, not counting the Three spikes I've had this week that had 90+ a day! THANK YOU ALL! Ahem, anyway... I may be overdoing the whole _guinea pigs say reet_ thing, but let's face it, Percy talks a lot.**

**And, as always, Thank You to all the new followers/Favoriters!**

**888aaa22: Thank you. It makes me happy to know you enjoy my work so much.**

**Obivionrain: your wish is my command, just not this chapter. They will, eventually.**

* * *

_"No," Circe gasped, her final **Health Bar **reducing to zero. "Curse you, you filthy males! You- you can't kill me permanently! I- I will return." Her form started becoming fuzzy, the two Japanese players falling behind her. "I will get my revenge! I'm coming for you Ax Wielder! And the disgusting twins, too!" She swelled, her figure going from hourglass to bloated whale in a couple of seconds. With a last strangled noise she burst, her body becoming floating polygons in the air and the glass sound filling the room._

_The **CONGRATULATIONS** message and fanfare appeared as the player who earned the **Last Attack Bonus **was Claimed, a burning hammer floating over Agil's head revealing him as a son of Hephestus._

**Chapter 12:**

**Aftermath**

"Well it's about damn time!" Agil shouted indicating his new cursor: a burning hammer. At the same time as Agil's claiming, all the players inside the **Boss Room**, small animal or not, received their level-up messages. Annabeth was pretty confused when two level-up messages appeared in front of her until she heard a '_reet, reet, reet!_' coming from the palm of her hand and remembered Percy the guinea pig in her palm. The players outside the room did not receive anything, unfortunately for them, but the barrer keeping them out was removed.

"_Reet!_" Percy called trying to ask why he was still an animal even though **Circe the Sorceress** was defeated. The present **Heroes of Olympus** members had gathered and were all in one piece, even if their leader was in one small, animal piece.

"Where's Kelp Head?" Thalia asked after she walked over, not seeing the small mass of hair in Annabeth's hand that was her cousin.

"_Reet, reet!_"

"What is that sound?" Thalia followed her ears until she saw the waving guinea pig in her best friend's palm. She started laughing. "HAHAHAHA! Percy, is that you? I always knew you ate like a pig, but that's not what I meant!" Percy tried to hit his female cousin, but his new paws didn't give him much to work with. After about a minute, Thalia stopped her laughing. "But seriously, what are we going to do about changing you back?"

Nico spoke up. "He was changed by a Magic-class attack, so let's find a player who is Magic-class oriented. Anyone know anyone?"

"There was that son of Hecate at the meeting yesterday," Annabeth offered. "Maybe he could help us. Oh, what was his name?"

"Ron," Katie offered also remembering the British player.

"Did somebody say my name?" a voice asked behind the majority of the **HOO**. They turned, surprised, to find the child of Magic that they were talking about. "Ron, son of Hecate, at your service. How can I help you?"

"Well, we have a bit of a small, magical problem," Annabeth answered, showing the player-turned-guinea-pig in her hand to the ginger.

"_Reet!_" Percy supplied, not that anyone understood him.

"Oh. I see," Ron commented. "I think I can do something about that. Give me a minute and follow me." He raised his voice until the whole room could hear him and had gone silent. "Hey everybody! Listen up! All players that were hit by a **Transformation** attack, follow me to the cauldron in the corner!" The transformed players followed his command. When they were by the cauldron Ron asked a question. "Does anyone know why the potion should change you players back?" He was answered with barks, squeaks, reets, meows, and quacks. He raised his hand for silence and enjoyed the temporary power over the other players. "The answer is: Kiyaba Akihiko programmed this potion into the **Boss Room** for a reason, but the Boss didn't use it. Therefore it must have some other purpose, and the only logical guess is a potion to change transformed players back. Does anyone wish to be the guinea pig?" He noticed Percy reeting in offence. "Oops! Bad wording, but would you like to go first?" Percy nodded and Annabeth carried him over.

"Percy." He turned his small head to look at the daughter of Athena. "Don't die. OK?" Percy nodded and turned back to the son of Hecate that was now holding him. Ron materialized a test tube from his **Item Storage** and dipped it into the potion. He lifted the now full tube up to Percy's lips and gave the son of Poseidon a swallow of what was labeled **Mysterious Potion**. Percy got this hot feeling in the pit of his stomach that spread to the rest of his body. Ron set him on the ground as the guinea pig began getting bigger. As Percy stared at the, to him, massive cauldron, it began looking not as, well, massive. As those around him watched the hair on Percy's body receded, revealing his armor and clothes. Within 30 seconds the human Percy was standing before them. He looked around, then to Ron.

"Thanks," he said. Percy then looked at Annabeth who he had taken the attack for. "I'm really sorry-". Before he could figure out how to apologize for being such an idiot, Annabeth tackled him in a hug, and then pulled away just as quickly. A couple of female Aphrodite players squealed in the distance.

"I'm glad you're not a guinea pig," she said, looking away.

"Me too," Percy mumbled, hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt (it was by the way).

"Well now that we know it works, who's next?" Ron asked. Annabeth had to pull Percy out of the way of the stampeding small animals. While the group of animals were changing back to human form Percy and Annabeth returned to the other members of **Heroes of Olympus** where Percy was greeted with gusto. Well, mostly.

"Percy! Welcome back to human life!" Travis joked.

"I liked you better as small animal; you were less annoying," Thalia said crossing her arms.

"Well what was it like as a guinea pig?" Connor asked.

"I hope I don't have to go through that," Nico commented to himself.

"Oh, it's finally starting!" Katie exclaimed.

"What's starting?" Annabeth asked.

"Nothing!" Katie said in a singsong voice as she walked over to some Aphrodite players, glancing at the daughter of Athena and the son of Poseidon every now and then as they conversed.

The rest of the small Guild walked over to Agil, who had equipped his **Last Attack Bonus**: an Enchanted Battle-Ax. The ax had a spell cast on it to manifest the powers of the immortal parent of the player welding it. In this case Agil's parent is Hephestus, so the Ax created flames when it was swung.

"That is so cool!" the twins gushed admiring the weapon as Agil practiced with it, getting use to the new weight and balance. He turned around when he heard the twins.

"What? Oh, thank you. Sorry, but I don't remember your names. All I remember is that your Guild is the **Heroes of Olympus**."

"Oh, it's no problem Agil," Annabeth said. "You've probably been introduced to tons of players more memorable than us. I'm Annabeth and these are Percy, Connor, Travis, Nico, Thalia, and that's Katie over there." Each player waved or shook Agil's hand after being introduced. "We have two newer members, but they chose to pass on this Boss."

"Oh really?" Agil asked. "What are their names? I might know them."

Percy answered the taller male. "Their names are Pollux and Silica. Remember the last **Floor** **Boss**? Pollux was _that_ player and Silica was the one who comforted him."

"Yes. I know of Pollux-san. I also know little Silica-san; she was from our server. Was she Claimed? I can't remember if she was or not."

"Yes, she was," Annabeth said. "Aphrodite."

"DAMN!" Agil turned around and swung his new ax angrily. Before the members of **Heroes of Olympus** could ask what was wrong he exclaimed, "Even little Silica was Claimed before me!" The **HOO** members stood around awkwardly as the irate son of Hephestus took his frustration out on the air. As Agil calmed down Annabeth gave him some of her Athenian wisdom.

"It is not when you are Claimed, but what you do to be Claimed that defines what kind of player you are."

Agil stopped his swinging. "Thanks Annabeth-san. Those words made me feel better."

"Well now that you're done, are you going to open the doors or not?" a familiar voice asked from behind the group. They turned to find the Beater with his arms crossed, his **Coat of Midnight** swaying in a nonexistent breeze. "Well Agil-san?"

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for reminding me. And thanks for the transport."

"What do you mean?"

"I got the **Last Attack Bonus** and was Claimed because you **Shadow** **Tr****avel**ed me above the Boss at the last second."

"Oh. Well I knew the Boss was going to do something and I couldn't do anything once I **Shadow Travel**ed again. You were next to me at the time, so . . ." Kirito trailed off, not knowing how to end the sentence. Agil didn't care though and bowed to the **Beater** as he (Agil) walked by. Agil walked over to the doors at the opposite side of the **Boss Room** and looked at them, thinking about something. After a few moments he pushed the doors. They opened to the sixth floor and Agil lead the trek onward.

* * *

The players marched down a mountain behind Agil. Another generic looking town gleamed below them, its **Portal Gate** visible from its position in the middle of the central plaza. Large rocks dotted the mostly flat landscape around the town. Large humanoid monsters with what looked like small horns and only one eye stumbled around the large stones on the hunt for the newly arrived demigods. The large group of players walked down the path to the town, killing a couple of the **Cyclopes** in their way. The players entered the town and were once again greeted by an **NPC**.

"Hello!" the virtual character greeted them enthusiastically. He had this look in his eye that suggested he was starved for company. "Hello, hello! My name is **Boreas, Master of the Winds**! Welcome to **Mykonos, the Island of the Winds**. I suppose you can figure out why it's me welcoming you to this floor."

"We thank you for your welcome," Agil said respectively as he stepped forward and bowed. "You seem much more helpful than **Heracles** was on the last floor."

"Oh! Well thank you. I know how annoying that boy can be. And to think Zeus made him a god after he died. Blatant favoritism -"

"I'm sorry for interrupting," Kirito said, walking up to stand beside Agil, "but could you direct us to the hotel and the center plaza? As you know we are new to... uh, what city is this?"

"This is Mykonos." The **NPC** answered as if he has said it before.

"We know this is the island of Mykonos," Kirito said, " but what is the name of this city?"

"Mykonos," Boreas said as if it were obvious. "Mykonos is the capital of the island of Mykonos. The city and the island share the name."

"Oh," Kirito said. "I did not know that. So could you show us the way to the hotel?"

"Certainly. It is down this alley to my left. Go down the alley and the hotel should be on your right. The plaza you were asking about is behind me and down the path. Before you leave, congratulations on beating Circe. It was a very entertaining fight."

"Thank you Boreas-sama," Agil said. This **NPC** was one of the kindest and most helpful the players had met in **Demigod Heroes Online** since it had started a couple of months ago. "Would you know the date by any chance?"

"Yes I do. It's the 5th of December."

"But that means Christmas is coming up!" a random player with an American accent yelled. "Why isn't there any snow or decorations?"

"We are in Greece. We do not get snow except in the far north. Also we do not celebrate Christmas. I AM a Greek immortal."

"But didn't Christmas start as a Pagan holiday?" Annabeth asked, recalling something she had read in a history book at some point.

"The modern form of celebration evolved from a British Pagan holiday," the **NPC** corrected her. "Not a Greek Pagan one. Does that make sense?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Well," Percy interrupted. "This is very fun and I know I will come back to talk to you Boreas, but we must get going for now." He turned to his Guild. "Annabeth, you're coming with me to start up the **Portal Gate** since I don't know how. Everyone else, head to the hotel and get rooms for everybody in the Guild. Katie, send Silica a message to start heading for the **Portal Gate**. Everyone got it?" Percy received a round of nodding and the **HOO** members split up, but not before Percy's friends got a few words in.

"I'll send her that message," Katie said with a sly smile, "but you two don't get sidetracked if you know what I mean. No need to keep the couple waiting now is there?" The daughter of Demeter enjoyed the look of confusion on Annabeth's face and the now bright red cheeks of the son of Poseidon from the insinuation of what she was suggesting, even if his hormone-driven mind took her joke to a whole new level inside his brain.

"J-just go!" Percy stuttered, trying to hide his blush from the gray-eyed girl next to him. He turned away from the group and trudged in the direction of the central plaza. Annabeth followed after a few seconds. Katie started laughing as soon as they were out of earshot. The rest of the **HOO** demigods followed her example before leaving to follow their orders.

"Percy?" Annabeth questioned not hearing their friends' laughter behind them. "What was Katie suggesting?"

"It's nothing. Just forget about it."

"Well it's obviously something and that something bothered you. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I said it's nothing, so just drop it. Ok?"

"You know how curious I can be," the demigoddess said. "And you know that when I set out to learn something I always reach my goal, so I will find out what it is eventually." Percy was silent for a few seconds trying to think of another topic for them to talk about and used the first thing that came to mind.

"So did you see those huge boulders in the fields outside of town? They seemed kind of important to me for some reason. Maybe we could ask Boreas if they're part of a myth." Annabeth fell into Percy's trap at the prospect of learning something new and started rambling on about the Greek mythos she knew that had to do with rocks and boulders, but none of the stories seemed to fit on the island of Mykonos. The two members of **Heroes of Olympus** had not thought of a story that fit by the time they arrived at the **Portal Gate** and stopped so Annabeth could activate the teleportation method of **DHO**.

They stood waiting for a couple of minutes before the hum of the **Portal Gate** reached their ears. A light blue light that reminded Percy of the **Transformation** spell started glowing in the center of the gate's four pillars and faded to reveal the two dating members of their Guild that passed on the **Floor Boss**. Annabeth, who had remembered what she and Percy had been discussing before he abruptly changed the subject, took her chance to try to catch Silica off guard in case she knew anything.

"Hey, Silica? Do you know if Katie is trying to do something behind my back? She was acting odd before Percy and I left the group to get you two." Silica, who had noticed Katie trying to get the two demigods in front of her together (it's an Aphrodite thing), wasn't good at lying and looked around for something to get away from the gray-eyed girl's questions, but it took her a second to get her bearings and she let some words slip before her exit.

"Katie-san is trying to get Percy-kun to -", she covered her mouth in surprise. "I, uh, I mean..." her eyes landed on a shop behind Annabeth, "Pollux-kun, look! A weapons shop! Let's go shopping." The daughter of Aphrodite grabbed her boyfriend's hand and dragged him towards a store that was displaying a shiny knife in the window and away from the older girl. Annabeth turned to Percy with a questioning look, but the son of Poseidon had turned away to hide his once again red face and seemed interested in the cobblestones a few feet in front of him.

"Well," Annabeth said in an exasperated tone from everybody hiding information from her. "I am going to find the hotel. Percy, why don't you stay with the lovebirds and lead them back to the rooms when they're done?"

"Sure," he said obviously relieved. "Go ahead. I think I know the way. I'll message you if we get lost."

"Ok. See you later." She left the plaza and Percy released a breath he had not realized he had been holding. He mumbled to himself about something or other as he made his way to the weapons shop where Silica had dragged her significant other.

* * *

"So this is the hotel?" Percy asked. He, Silica, and Pollux were standing in front of a large white building. The letters above the doorway read 'Mykonos Hotel' in big, red, cursive letters that were killer on Percy's ADHD. Luckily, nether of Percy's current companions had the mental disorder and could easily read the words for the son of Poseidon. The threesome had made it to their lodgings easy enough with a stop for directions from Boreas in the entrance plaza.

"That's what it says," Silica quipped. She was wearing some new clothes that Pollux had bought her on their date while the others were fighting the **Floor Boss** (or in Percy's case being turned into a guinea pig), which included a dark pink top and navy jeans. Also, the daughter of Aphrodite had bought herself a new knife. The new weapon was like Percy's **Riptide** in the respect that it would level up its stats with its player's level, but to a far lesser degree and would need to be replaced eventually.

"Well what are we standing around for?" Pollux asked. "The sun is setting and it's getting cold. I bet the others are waiting for us."

"Yeah," Percy said, sounding like he was not very thrilled at the idea of entering the hotel at the moment, "but Katie is up to something and I think it's going to result with me getting an ear full from Annabeth."

"Or it could result in you asking her out," Silica responded. Percy whirled around to look at her, shock and a hint of fear on his face. "What? It's obvious you like her."

"W-what do you m-mean?" Percy stuttered oblivious to Pollux chuckling nearby.

"I've learned that you can get gossip from anyone if you get them talking long enough. And Thalia and Katie had a lot of gossip to share about their Guild leader. Like that time you jumped off a diving board and-" Percy clamped a hand over Silica's mouth, stopping her flow of words.

"Please," he pleaded. "Don't talk about anything they might have told you."

"I won't talk," she said after removing his hand "It would ruin all the fun."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Percy demanded.

"What Silica-chan means is that everyone gets to tease you until you grow a backbone and ask her out."

"I… but… ah." Percy stammered.

"Come on Lover Boy," Silica teased as she walked past her leader, grabbing his arm in the process. "The electric current in the air is telling me that Thalia-chan is getting impatient."

* * *

"It's about time," Thalia said in an irritated voice. "What were you guys doing out there? We watched you talk for, like, ten minutes. What was so important that you stood outside in the cold?" Percy had no answer and was desperately trying to think of an excuse, but luckily Silica had prepared one for them.

"It's nothing," the daughter of Aphrodite explained. "And it wasn't that long. We were just talking about the surprisingly high stats of my new dagger. It doesn't look like much, but it sure packs a punch." Pollux picked up on the story, adding his own two cents to make it more believable.

"Yeah. It was pretty surprising, but that's to be expected when Silica-chan's level is higher than the last time you saw her." It wasn't exactly a lie, just a diversion. Silica was two levels higher than the last time most of the guild had seen her due to the **EXP** grinding that she had done with Pollux and, as a result, her dagger's stats were increased. "My training was and is very effective. She's level 15 now." Silica blushed at her boyfriend's praise. She still had the lowest level of the Guild, but she was now only one level behind most of the members.

"Aww, look. She's blushing. Isn't she adorable?" Katie's words only caused Silica's face to get redder.

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Connor said, stretching his arms over his head and yawning, "but I can hear a bed calling my name. Good night." The twin in question turned and strode down the hotel corridor, the sound of the others wishing him and each other a good night behind the son of Hermes before the gang split into their room groups and settling down for the night.

**End of Chapter 13**

* * *

**Sorry about the dull chapter, but it was neccissary. FYI Those boulders I mentioned ARE part of a myth; they are said to be the petrifided testicles (or if you want to be PG13 about it, the intire bodies) of some of giants that were killed by Heracles. I won't bring it up again cause I just couldn't work it in. I hope you enjoyed and, as always, leave a review!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	13. The Other Small Guild

**Really guys? No reviews whatsoever? Fine, I get it, you don't want me to respond. You all could have just said something. Either way, I will not be put down. Oh well, I can't get better if you guys don't tell me what I'm doing right or wrong, so PLEASE tell me what you like and dislike about my writing so I can get better to provide y'all with better, longer chapters. Sorry about the rant.**

* * *

**Chapter 13:**

**The Other Small Guild**

The sun was low in the sky when the **Guild: Heroes of Olympus** trekked out toward the fields next to the town of Mykonos on the sixth floor. Huge boulders littered the grassy plains and one-eyed monsters prowled the land in search of a demigod for their next meal, not that they needed to eat. The monsters may have been only data in a virtual world, but the threat of death still hung over the players if they were captured by the humanoid beasts. The Guild members fought as a group to watch each other's backs and to kill their opponents quickly. While the **EXP** was divided through the fighters, and therefore each received less that normal, the nine members did not mind. Each fight was short and the players moved on to the next monster they encountered.

"There's another **Cyclops** over here," the son of Dionysus called to the other members of his Guild; their last opponent had died a few minutes ago and they were looking for more prey. The creature heard the noise and locked onto the only player it could see, the other eight were hidden by a boulder on the creature's right. The **Cyclops** attacked; it did not expect to be beaten by the lone player with a wine glass cursor.

The muscular humanoid had barely taken a step when it collapsed forward, its Achilles tendons sliced by the dagger of a small girl with pigtails and a **Dragon's Egg **behind its massive legs. Silica's **Agility** stat had skyrocketed since she started fighting with her egg holster on and, as a result, she was now the quickest member of **Heroes of Olympus** even with the bulky carrier. The Japanese girl ducked as the rest of her Guild ambushed their fallen enemy from the top of the nearby boulder or jumping over the smaller girl, reducing its health to 20/100 and pining the growling foe's arms, legs, and torso to the ground. Her Guild leader offered the kill the grinning daughter of Aphrodite and she sliced a diagonal cut along the monster's back. It gave a strangled 'rawr!' before breaking, leaving each player with an info box floating in front of him or her. The group barely glanced at the messages before closing them and began looking for a new opponent.

They did not have to look for long; the yelling of their last opponent had attracted the attention of another couple of large humanoids. Each of the new monsters lifted a club, growling at the group they'd found. The first of the beasts used an overhead strike, causing the Guild to scatter or be caught in the resulting shockwave. The second took advantage of the forced separation to swing horizontally, catching Connor in the shoulder. He rolled, his health dropping into the low green area. The second **Cyclops** would have hit him again, but a sword interrupted the one-eyed monster's attack.

"I see you're having a little trouble," Percy commented nonchalantly, holding the beast's club at bay. "Want some help?"

"That would be great, thanks."

"Travis, help Connor!" Percy commanded, glancing at the other fight happening only feet away before turning back to his current opponent. "Katie, wrap 'em up."

"You got it," the girl called, various plants sprouting from the dirt under the humanoid's feet. The creature swung its club, attempting in vain to stop the plants' advance up its form.

"You guys good?" Percy questioned, directing the inquiry at the twins. The two gave an affirmative answer, raising their swords as Katie's vines pulled the monster backwards as if it was going to enter a limbo contest. "Let's go."

The triad of players advanced on their restrained enemy, swords glowing. Each twin lopped off one of the monster's hands, its club clattering to the dirt underfoot. Percy chose to aim low, cutting away one of the beast's legs. The large brute roared in pain, its form as well as its health dropping. The one-eyed fiend's body hit the ground with a thud, the monster groaning and its health in the red. Katie calmly drew closer even as the **Cyclops** reached for the club with an arm lacking a hand. Realizing that it could not lift the weapon, the monster slowly and unsteadily got to its feet, or foot since one of the two had been cut off.

"May I?" The daughter of Demeter asked, gesturing to the humanoid as it tried to stand on one leg. Percy nodded as he and the Stolls backed away. Katie lifted her knife, readying the weapon to be thrown. The blade began to glow a dark pink before the girl swung. Her weapon flew through the air, shining in the artificial sunlight for a half second before sinking hilt-deep into the shoulder of the unbalanced creature. The monster spun from the impact, its high upper body weight causing it to faceplant into the dirt. It groaned as the last of its heath drained away. Katie walked over to the items as the other **Cyclops** roared before bursting. The group reconvened, assessing damage, drops, and supplies prior to heading in another direction to continue.

This **EXP** grinding went on throughout the morning and into the afternoon after an hour-long break to head into the city and buy lunch. The group periodically saw other players they knew grinding as well: Asuna leading a party of **Blood Oath Knight** newbies across the field, Kirito on a rock with ten **Cyclopes** around him until he wiped them out in a matter of seconds, a band of red-wearing players lead by a scruffy-looking samurai (Silica said she thought his name was Kling or Pine or something like that, but she wasn't sure). They recognized him and his group from the **Boss Fights**, but had never met them personally. The members of **Heroes of Olympus** had just defeated their 150th monster of the day (not that they were counting or anything) and were closing the annoying info boxes when Silica cheered.

"Yes! I did it, I did it!" Silica exclaimed as she jumped up and down in excitement, a message box bouncing vertically with her.

"What did you do Silica-chan?" her boyfriend asked before reading the level-up message in front of the happy female.

"I leveled up! I'm level 16 now!" The girl's message caused the rest of the group to check their own stats and find that the entire Guild's older teens were very close to their next level. Unfortunately, the sun was starting to set and the party had to begin making their way back to the city of Mykonos, but the **Cyclopes** they killed while headed to the city provided enough **EXP** to level up most of the rest of the party.

(Their levels are currently: Percy, Thalia, and Pollux - 18, Annabeth, Nico, Connor, Travis, and Katie - 17, and Silica - 16.)

The Guild members were walking into town at a leisurely pace, stopping for a few seconds to greet the always-nice **Boreas: Master of the Winds** standing in the entrance plaza. They continued deeper into the city on the look out for a restaurant where they could try something new to celebrate the overall leveling up of the Guild. They entered the central plaza and saw an Asian-looking restaurant on the opposite side. Silica recognized the unknown characters on the sign above the doorway and informed the largely dyslexic group that the establishment served Japanese-style food and voiced that she was starting to feel homesick and would like some familiar cuisine. Her friends complied and they entered the building after marching across the plaza.

The building was mostly empty and looked like a stereotypical Asian restaurant on the inside, but instead of normal chairs, cushions served as sitting places around raised platforms to be used as tables. Music from Japan floated in the air from who knew where; Connor and Silica recognized the tune as _Black Paper Moon_ from _Soul Eater_, but only Silica truly understood the words. Laughter could be heard coming from somewhere near the back of the eating establishment and flashes of red suggested the origins to be the unknown Guild they had seen grinding in the fields earlier that day. Silica asked the waitress **NPC** for a table for nine and the group followed her toward the rear of the shop.

The digitally animated woman directed them to a large table close to the only other group there. After they arrived she bowed and walked back to her post by the front. Everyone except Silica sat down awkwardly on the cushions. Most of the members had their legs crossed in front of them and Annabeth was shifting in her seat, sitting on her legs like Silica but not near as comfortably. The digital food menus appeared and hovered before them as each person scrolled through, their silence broken a couple times by the loud mirth of the other Guild across the isle or a question directed to Silica about something on the menu. The list of options consisted of what appeared to be mostly different types of noodles and each player ended up ordering some kind of noodle food.

Connor had ordered a miso ramen dish that he had wanted to try ever since he saw it ordered by the main character of the anime _Naruto_ and Travis, thinking it looked good, order the same thing. Silica had bought an order of kake soba, a dish she said made her think of her mother since said woman had made it many times for a younger Silica IRL. Annabeth ordered a dish called curry udon and a bowl of very thick noodles materialized before her. Katie and Pollux ordered hiyamugi, a food that looked like Annabeth's udon, but was not a thick. Percy and his cousins ordered some type of ramen dish and were the last to receive their food.

"Itadakimasu," Silica muttered as she bowed her head. The others had heard her say the phrase before each of their meals and assumed it was a blessing of some sort and chose not to question it. She lifted the chopsticks that appeared with her meal and, with the grace that came from a lifetime of practice, began eating.

She glanced up from her meal after about a minute to see her friends struggling with their own eating utensils. She giggled as Percy just stopped trying to use his own pair of chopsticks and utilized his **Poseidon Skill: ****Water Control** to slowly levitate his food into his open mouth and slurp the noodles. Silica then tried to instruct the group on how to properly use chopsticks, but only Annabeth, Pollux, and, surprisingly, Nico succeeded in learning; the others, having given up, lifted their bowls to their lips to eat or were Percy. As the members of **Heroes of Olympus** were finishing their meal, the only other group joined them.

"Hey," a scruffy-looking man with a red and yellow headband and armor greeted. He had wild, red/brown hair and a samurai sword strapped to his hip. His cursor matched the Stolls' winged shoes showing the newcomer to be a son of Hermes. He addressed Silica in a heavily accented voice. "So I take it you are from Japan like us, but your Guild here isn't. Am I right?" Silica nodded, slurped up the noodles in her mouth, and swallowed before answering.

"Yes. My name is Silica."

"It's nice to meet you Silica-san. My name is Klein and this is my **Guild: Fuurinkazan** (A/n that actually is the name from the manga and it translates to fire mountain or volcano FYI). All of us are from Japan. Are you going to introduce us to your friends?"

"Oh," Silica said. She had nearly forgotten about the rest of her Guild. "Yes. We are the **Guild: the Heroes of Olympus**. This," she gestured to the son of Dionysus sitting next to her, "is my boyfriend, Pollux. Those three," she indicated the Big Three's children "are Percy, Thalia, and Nico. They're cousins, inside and outside. Those two, your game siblings, are Connor and Travis. And last but not least the other girls are Annabeth and Katie." Each player greeted the leader of **Fuurinkazan** when his or her name was announced. Well, except for the Stolls. They acted as they usually did and confused the Hades out of the members of the newly introduced Guild by arguing about which twin was actually Connor.

"It was good to meet you," Klein said with a smile. "I know we'll meet again, but it's getting late and we're planning on grinding real early tomorrow, so we have to go. Talk to you later?"

"Definitely," Percy answered. Klein had this good air about him; he was the type of person that Percy loved to hang out with. "Maybe we could meet up in the **Fields** tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan. See you tomorrow." Klein and his friends waved as they exited. The only players left in the restaurant talked for a few more minutes before they too left for the comfort of the hotel and the plush beds the nine had ordered for a little extra.

**End of Chapter 13**

* * *

**Well I've introduced Klien and his group, but the chapters have been dull haven't they? Never fear, they raid a dungeon next chapter, so, for a while at least, things are going to pick up. But I won't have internet next week, so I'll get back to y'all next Sunday. Ok?**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	14. The Queen Of Hearts

**Sorry for the wait, but I'm back from camp! I had a great time and got a chapter and then some written. Although now I have to type it out... Oh well, I've already started. Anyways, Thank You to all of those who followed, and favorited. And a spectial Thank You to Omega Alpha Hydra, oblivionrain, Leftback02, and the Oracle of Akemi for your wonderful reviews. I took the liberty of changing some of Klein's friends since I only know their names and what they look like.**

**P.S. I feel for all of you that have to study over Summer break. It really sucks. Trust me, I know. **

**P.S.S. Due to references I must say that I don't own _Alice In Wonderland_. While I'm at it I'll also say that I don't own _Sword Art Online_ or _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_ either.**

* * *

**Chapter 14:**

**The Queen of Hearts**

True to their word, the members of The **Heroes of Olympus** met with the members of **Fuurinkazan** in the **Fields of Mykonos** the day after they met.

"Yo," Klein greeted as the **Heroes of Olympus** moved into hearing range. "You guys already introduced yourselves, so let me introduce my Guild: **The Fuurinkazan Guild**."

The members of Klein's Guild were just above average at best, but they were nice people. Issin was a portly, unclaimed player in his early twenties with brown hair and green eyes. Kunimittz was Issin's twin brother and shared his round shape, hair color, eye color, and unclaimed status. Harry One was a tall, thin man who wore a suit of armor with a war hammer strapped behind his back. His burning hammer cursor suggested that he forged his own armor and cared for the Guild's weapons. Dale was a shortish, ginger-haired, brown-eyed son of Ares with a beard/goatee combo, a one-handed short sword pared with a Spartan shield, and a fiery temper. Finally, Dynamn was a son of Dionysus who was a little on the heavy side and didn't talk much.

"Did you guys hear they found a Dungeon on the east side of the floor?" Klein asked after the introductions finished. "There's supposed to be some really good drops at the end."

"Really?" Percy asked. "We were going to look for some new armor after heading back to town, but a Dungeon sounds like fun and if we could find some armor out here we wouldn't have to spend money." The other members nodded to his reasoning.

"Which way is it Klein-san?" Silica asked.

"Do you see the taller hills over there? Apparently there is an entrance through a hole at the top of one of them. I'm not sure which one though."

"That's fine," Percy responded. "We have plenty of people here to cover ground and most of the other groups won't be out until after noon."

"Alright then. **Heroes of Olympus**! **Fuurinkazan**! Let's move out and find that hole!"

"That really doesn't sound as cool as you think is does Klein," Thalia deadpanned as the group of Japanese players and her excitable, water-loving cousin whooped and took to the hills. The rest of the Americans plus Silica followed at a slower pace.

In the end, the finding of the Quest's starting location was attributed to Dale who called the others' attentions by banging his sword upon his shield. The title of the Quest read '**Into the Rabbit Hole**'.

"Really?" Pollux questioned. "An _Alice in Wonderland_ reference?"

"In the Gamemaster's defense," Annabeth interjected, "there is only so much you can do that is totally Greek themed. I guess he chose to throw in some fairytales as well. And since only we know what's in here they don't have to worry about the copyright issues."

"So, what are we going to fight? A bunch of hearts with spades or aces armed with clubs?" Pollux joked. Later he would curse his imagination, the truthfulness of his earlier statement confounding him.

* * *

"Wow Pollux-kun, are you sure you're not psychic?" Silica quipped as she came up from ducking under her boyfriend's sword, which held their opponent's weapon at bay. She stabbed the creature; something called a **Heart Queen's Sentinel**. The thing's armor was a bright red color and had the design of a heart fixed upon both its helmet and its breastplate. The weapon it wielded was exactly what the son of Dionysus had joked: a spade.

The irony was not lost on any member of the party. Even the usually oblivious Percy had a good laugh over Pollux's strange prediction when the group of fifteen had encountered an entourage of six enemies. The couple turned to the rest of the group just as they were finishing their own foes and collecting the loot.

"Klein?" Percy asked. "Do you know how long this Dungeon is suppose to be?"

"Honestly I'd heard it was pretty short. Maybe a half an hour long. An hour tops."

"Either way, we aren't going to get anywhere standing around like this. Let's go already," Thalia called behind her having started to walk while the others were talking.

"Thalia!" Nico called. "Wait for us!"

As the Dungeon progressed, the mob groups continued to get larger until the battles were 15 **Heart Queen's Sentinels** vs. the 15 members of the joint party between the **Heroes of Olympus** and the **Fuurinkazan Guild**. On the bright side as the difficulty of the mobs rose, so did the value of the drops when one died. The group was walking along a corridor after about 40 minutes of exploring the strange, fairytale-themed Dungeon. A pair of fancy doors laid in wait for them on the other side of the hallway. The entrance seemed to be the gateway to the throne room because the doors themselves were cards, playing cards to be exact. Percy asked if he could open the doors before shuffling up in front of them.

"I've always wanted to do this," he said with a smile before stepping back and kicking the doors open. "THIS IS SPAR… er, I mean, THIS IS MYKONOS!" He yelled, stopping himself from shouting 'Sparta' when that was the second floor, not the sixth. A tall, hideous... was that a woman? Whatever-it-was was dressed in a red and maroon dress that seemed to accentuate her giant head which, in turn, showed off a rather large forehead. The hideous thing rose from her position on the throne as 10 soldiers, similar to the mobs they had fought before, spawned around her. The differences in the **Sentinels** from the earlier mobs was black armor, a club rather than a spade, and the name **'Ace Warriors**' floating above them. The thing behind them gained a title and two **Health Bars**.

"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" shouted **The Queen of Hearts**.

"Wow. Kiyaba really doesn't care about copyrights, does he?" Nico asked as the **Ace Warriors** charged at the intruders. No one chose to respond and instead ran at the armored minions coming at them.

"Guys take the small fries, girls get the queen?" Pollux suggested. Everyone nodded, Annabeth, Thalia, Katie, and Silica branching off from the others and running around the advancing beasts. The digital servants turned to intercept, but the males stopped their attempt.

"Alright, here's the plan," Annabeth called behind her. "Katie, you're covering Silica to help protect her **Dragon's Egg**. I'll keep its attention to take some of the danger off you. Thalia, you cover all of us from long range and warn us of any attacks you see. Clear?"

"Roger!" They chorused. Thalia dropped back to give herself a more third person view of the battle with the Red Queen as the others rushed ahead. The Dungeon's last monster stretched out her arm, materializing a mallet like the ones used for cricket in Britain.

"Time to role some heads!" She cheered as the mallet swung toward the girls. Annabeth dodged to the left while Katie grabbed Silica and dove the other way. Thalia used the second the queen needed to recover in order to charge an arrow and fire. The sparking projectile stuck in the overly large forehead of the **Queen of Hearts**, sending electricity coursing through her digital body and removing a sliver of health. The other girls chose to attack while their opponent was disoriented, slashing its legs and removing just over an eighth of her health points.

The Red Queen growled, kicking Annabeth away as the other two young women retreated to a safer distance. Silica ran over to Annabeth's dazed form as the enemy cackled. "Do you know who you are facing?" She asked. "I am the **Queen of Hearts**! I will topple the throne of Aphrodite and take her place as the goddess of love and beauty! And there is nothing you little heroes can do about it!"

"Gods, would you shut up?" Thalia frowned. "Your voice is even more annoying than Death Breath, and that's saying something."

"You ignorant little wench! I'll have fun killing you!"

"You wish Clownface." Thalia answered as she fired another arrow. The queen tried to snatch the arrow out of the air, but dropped it after the arrow shocked her. Vines started creeping up the digital monarch's legs, restraining them and limiting movement.

Annabeth approached, prompting the **Queen of Hearts** to swing her mallet. The daughter of Athena jumped, spring boarding off the weapon much like Asuna and Agil had when fighting the **Original Hydra **in the fourth floor's Boss Fight. She sliced at the queen's chest, reducing her health into the red of the first of the two **Health Bars** and receiving a realistic roar of pain. The red-dressed thing swung hers mallet, landing direct blow on the falling demigoddess.

Annabeth rolled with the kinetic energy as she hit the ground, quite possibly saving her life. Even so, when she stopped rolling her health had dropped to the high red. Silica ran to her downed form for the second time in as many minutes and began feeding her **Ambrosia and Nectar** to help recover her health as Katie and Thalia distracted the Red Queen, removing the last of her first **Health Bar** in the process.

"Come on Silica." Annabeth mumbled as she sat up. "Let's send this ugly toad to Hades the hard way."

"I agree." They rushed the large queen's back as she swung her mallet again, this time sending Katie flying and dropping her health into the high yellow.

"Silica! Jump!" Annabeth yelled. Silica obeyed without question, getting a boost up onto the back of their tall opponent. Annabeth's slashing at the queen's legs and Silica's stabbing at the neck quickly removed most of the **Queen of Hearts**' last **Health Bar**. As it reached the red, the Dungeon's final opponent shouted and flung Silica from her back. Only Katie's quick use of her **Plant Control** softened the fall.

"Hey Ugly!" Thalia called, shooting an arrow. The enemy didn't verbally respond. She blocked the arrow with her mallet before tossing the weapon at the archer. The daughter of Zeus dove to the side to dodge the flying mallet. A new weapon appeared: a... flamingo?

"FORE!" The Red Queen called, swinging the flamingo like a golf club.

"Incoming!" Shouted Harry One from the other direction, an **Ace Warrior** flying through the air toward the **Queen of Hearts** due to a particularly strong swing of his war hammer. The smaller of the two opponents had its direction forcefully changed as it slammed into the weapon of its leader. The armored minion traveled across the room in a not-so-graceful arc before hitting the wall and shattering louder than normal.

"Well poo," the queen muttered. More shattering sounds suggested that the rest of the minions were quickly vanishing one by one.

"Come on girls! Let's finish this old hag!" Thalia called, notching another arrow.

"Old hag?" The Red Queen questioned, her face coloring in anger.

"Now!" Annabeth shouted as all four females attacked the beast of a woman at once, destroying the last of her health and clearing the dungeon. **The Queen of Hearts** didn't even have time to say any final words before bursting into countless blue polygons that floated away harmlessly.

* * *

"Congratulations girls," Klein said after the party exited the Dungeon. "That was some fighting you did back there. And a special congrats to you Silica-chan. I didn't say it before, but you are the first person I have seen with a **Dragon's Egg**. Have you ever heard the phrase 'gift of the gods'? Some claim that **Dragon's Eggs** are so rare that they have to be a gift from the Gamemaster, Akihiko Kiyaba, himself. So good luck with your dragon taming, Silica-chan."

"Thank you Klein-san. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun with my little dragon when it hatches. Have you heard anything about how long it would take to hatch?"

"Sorry, but no. I've no clue."

"Sorry to interrupt," Pollux said, stepping into the conversation, "but shouldn't we be heading back to town. It's almost lunch and, personally, I want to take a nap and relax."

"That's a great idea!" Percy cheered. "Food and sleep sounds like a great combo to me. I'm sure we can take the rest of the day off. Maybe do some shopping or upgrade our weapons or armor. I think we've earned it. All in favor?"

With a unanimous vote, the members of the **Heroes of Olympus **and the **Fuurinkazan Guild** began marching back to the city of Mykonos with visions of comfort flowing through their minds.

**End of Chapter 14**

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**So what did you guys think? Like? Dislike? Suggestions? All are welcome! I hope to hear from all you wonderful people in the reviews. Until next time,**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	15. Prophecies

**Hello everyone! I hope you all had a good week and that it was not as wet as mine was here in wild 'n wonderful West Virginia. I an proud to announce that we now have a total of 50 followers! As you guys know, I love seeing new followers, favorites and reviews, but I never thought I'd get 50. I guess I'll have to start trying to write even better chapters for y'all. Once again, a big shout out to _leftback02_ and _Omega Alpha Hydra_ for your reviews. I aim to please and have plenty of buffer chapters for when Writer's Block strikes so at no time in the near future should my updating speed decrease. Anyway, on to the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 15:**

**Prophecies**

Another week passed slowly as the players leveled up on the fields of the sixth floor. A group led by a player that the **Heroes of Olympus** had not talked to since before the fight with **Circe the Sorceress** discovered the **Boss Room**. Percy intended to remedy their lack of communication at the next meeting, which was being held later that day.

"Hello? Conor Akeas?" Percy called as he approached the ex-beta tester in the meetinghouse, his Guild not far behind.

"Yes? Who's calling?" The son of Ares responded as he turned around. "Oh, Percy. Great timing. And Blondie, you're here too."

"I said my name was Annabeth," she growled, using her **Athena Glare**, which actually had an effect and froze the buff male for a half a second.

"You two have been leveling up, I can tell. And this must be the **Heroes of Olympus** behind you."

"You know our Guild?" Travis asked, surprised.

"Of course. Everyone was talking about you when that son of Dionysus joined your group. Come here; I want to introduce you two to someone." Percy and Annabeth proceeded to follow the ex-tester while the rest of their group began mingling.

They headed toward the center of the room where a man with long, light brown hair in a braid, **KOB** armor, and a determined expression was speaking to Asuna over a map. A massive, Spartan shield with a blood-red cross painted on a white background was propped against the table between them. As the two players being led by Conor approached, they heard the **KOB** members talking in quick, accented voices. The cursors of the player they had never seen before matched that of the one leading them: the symbol of Ares. Conor cleared his throat as they walked up, prompting the two dressed in red and white to face the three approaching.

"Excuse me, sir, but I believe you wanted you to meet these two. Percy, son of Poseidon, Annabeth, daughter of Athena, allow me to introduce Heathcliff, son of Ares, the leader of the **Knights of the Blood Oath**. Mr. Heathcliff, this is Percy and Annabeth, the leader and second-in-command of the **Heroes of Olympus**" The man smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. His posture radiated confidence in his abilities and the power to back any boasting the man may do. He was an old man, older than the average for **DHO** anyway, but he seemed to be in his low thirties. His mere presence was enough to cause Percy to straighten self-consciously

"So you are the players leading the **Heroes of Olympus**, the unofficial strongest small Guild in all of **Demigod Heroes Online**. I am, as this young man said, Heathcliff, the leader of the **Knights of the Blood Oath**. It is a pleasure to meet you." The large man gave them a small bow before reaching out his hand for them to shake, using forms of greeting from both his home country of Japan and the teens' home of America. Both Percy and Annabeth shook his hand and gave their own form of greeting. Annabeth attempted her own bow, Percy folowing shortly afterwards, but they were clumsy and awkward. Nevertheless the large man was pleased to see that at least some youngsters were polite.

"It has been very nice meeting to you two, but the meeting is scheduled to begin in ten minutes. Asuna-kun and I really must get back to finishing this plan if we wish to lessen the amount of casualties."

"We understand," Percy said. "Come on Annabeth. Let's see what the others are doing."

The others, as it turned out, had found a Guild dressed in mostly red to associate with for the time being. Klein and his friends stayed for only a few minutes after Percy and Annabeth walked over before their leader noticed Kirito enter and they politely excused themselves to go talk to him. The Heroes would have joined them, but a voice they wished to never hear again stopped their approach of the Black Swordsman.

"Well, well. If it isn't the non-believer and her little side show." The Guild turned to see a certain blond haired, blue-eyed son of Apollo.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Pollux asked. He and Silica had been absent when the Guild had first met the player before them and, as a result, he and his girlfriend were unaware of this player's mutual dislike of their group. Despite their lack of knowledge, the way he spoke made it obvious he was not on good terms with any of their friends.

"What do you want Octavian?" Percy questioned at the same time in an annoyed tone. The self-proclaimed Oracle's presence, his stuck up attitude, and the fact that said Oracle did not like a certain daughter of Athena even more so than the rest of them was enough to make Percy really dislike him. Not quite hate, but _really_ dislike.

"I came here to give you a prediction. It seems the **CARDINAL** system has taken an interest in your little loser squad for this battle. One of you two," he pointed at the Stoll brothers, "is going to be terrified in this upcoming fight." He turned to Katie as the Stolls sputtered. "You will save a life, and you may die doing so." Katie gasped, but the blond had moved on to the couple he had not met. "One of you will be useless." Both Pollux and Silica looked taken aback by his words. Percy's two cousins came next, but were somewhat disappointed. "I'm sensing nothing for either of you, but you two," he turned to the final two members of **Heroes of Olympus**. "A secret will be revealed and it may mean the end of one of your lives."

Octavian smiled a smile that was not kind in the least. He reveled in the confusion and fear he felt from the group. He would have said more, but Heathcliff's powerful voice carried over the heads of the players.

"Now that it is seven O'clock, we can begin the meeting."

* * *

"Alright guys, let's go over the info one more time." The **HOO** were seated in one of the rooms they had rented at the hotel while Percy paced around the room.

"But Percy-kun," Silica whined, having to force herself not to let the system put her to sleep. "We've been over it three times now."

"Just once more. I promise."

"Fine," she huffed. "We know the Boss's name is **Brontes the Thunder Cyclops**. He fights with a spear and he is resistant to lightning and fire based attacks." Silica began to drift off after a large yawn, so Katie picked up where she left off.

"Because of having only one eye, he has a large blind spot on either side of his body, but his eye is his weak spot."

"The area is set to look like a workshop," Nico commented. "There is no water source and the floor is made of metal, so plant-related skills are not available."

"His thick skin from working in the forge makes him immune to arrows," Thalia muttered. "I'll have to use my spear instead of by bow."

"He has about 150 lesser** Cyclopes** under his command with similar weaknesses and armed with clubs." Annabeth murmured. Silica let out another cute yawn that quickly spread throughout the rest of her Guild. Percy decided to call it since both of the twins were already passed out and everyone else looked about ready to join them in the dream realm of Morpheus.

"That's all for today. Get some rest guys. We've a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

* * *

"Well that was a nice stroll."

Standing in front of the **Boss Room** of the sixth floor, Heathcliff commented on how nice the walk up had been. Most of the other players present disagreed with him seeing as his definition of a 'stroll' had been a two-hour hike through a monster-infested Dungeon with almost 5,000 stairs. Fortunately nearly all of the players had over 95% health due to the sheer number of demigods in the crowd.

"With all due respect Heathcliff-san, you need to redefine what you think a 'nice stroll' is." Heathcliff laughed at Silica's comment as she panted, hands on knees, next to the Guild's son of Dionysus. After a few more minutes, everyone was back to full health and ready to enter the lair of the next **Floor Boss**. Heathcliff turned, placed a single hand on the line between the doors, and shoved.

The inside of this final area looked like a workshop with a large portion of the center mostly cleared for the players to fight the giant monster guarding the next floor. Massive work desks were haphazardly pushed to the walls, their tops covered in projects left in various stages of construction. Random parts were scattered across the floor, some being almost as large as Silica was tall. As the demigods wandered in, they noticed the monstrous form of the Boss tinkering on the other side. **Brontes the Thunder Cyclops** stiffened, sniffing the air.

"Demigods," he muttered. "I hate demigods." He tuned to look at the players who had entered his territory. The final monster of the sixth floor stood at almost 12 feet and had a hideous skirt-like loincloth as his only form of clothing; luckily it covered his rear as well as his front because you never know how far Kiyaba Akihiko would have gone is his programming. His eye was about the size of a dinner plate with a large, chocolate brown iris. His hair was dark, shaggy, and matted at best. His hands were callused as if from spending a lifetime working in a forge and his light brown skin was crisscrossed with scars and burns to give it that realistic look.

"They are always walking around like they own the place," Brontes continued, muttering to himself. "Always stealing from modest people and monsters like me, and then they get praised for their deeds. I am sick of it." He growled and a couple of the weaker players flinched. The **Floor Boss** smirked as a spear materialized in his right hand and four **Health Bars** appeared next to his head. He stomped his oversized foot causing over a dozen previously unseen doors to fall. Through the now empty arches flowed his 150 **Sentinels** armed with clubs.

"Come get some!" He shouted, the **Sentinels** charging. The players reacted in kind and met the mobs halfway. The Boss stood back, seemingly content to watch, but that changed quickly due to the leader of the **KOB**, his sub-commander, and the Black Swordsman in the center of the melee.

Percy stepped back for a minute to restore his health as his friends filled the gap for him. The son of Poseidon had taken a club to the face and his health had dropped while he was disoriented. Now that he could take a breather, Percy was amazed at the top players as he watched them fight. Heathcliff was killing far more than the average demigod, but the teamwork between Kirito and Asuna was like a force of nature. They cleaved through the ranks of **Cyclopes**, shredding any that dared to attack them.

Percy was so engrossed in the spectacle that he forgot about his Guild for a crucial moment, but Silica's cry of pain redirected his attention. He turned just in time to see her crumple, her health in the low yellow. A **Cyclops** stood over her unconscious form with a victorious sneer. That is until Pollux, his **Dionysus Skill: ****Insane Fury** active, decapitated the beast. He stood over her protectively, a dark purple hue radiating from him and a mad look in his eye. He was about to be blindsided, but Percy stepped in, cutting off the mob's advance.

"Pollux!" He called, catching his opponent's club with his sword. "Get Silica to the medics. I'll cover you." Pollux's skill diminished slightly at Percy's assurance. He killed the monster he was fighting quickly before picking up his unconscious girlfriend. Being careful to not damage her **Dragon's Egg**, he rushed her to the healer party. After a few seconds though, Percy was struggling. Another **Sentinel** had joined its companion and they were taking turns swinging at him, giving the son of Poseidon no time to counter. He looked around as he ducked under another swing, making eye contact with Annabeth as she stabbed her opponent in its single, large eye. She was running before the monster had even broken into the system's polygons.

Percy jumped, kicking one of his foes in the eye and using the leverage to spring over the next swing. His distraction gave the daughter of Athena the opening she needed, stabbing the beast in the gut and slicing upwards, removing the last of its health. They double-teamed the other surprised monster before separating.

By then, the number of **Sentinels** had greatly decreased and the Boss's growls were getting louder with each burst of polygons and he turned to the three most deadly players of the fight.

"You three!" the large monster roared, "the old man, the dark kid, and the girl! Give me your names so I know the best to fall by my hand."

"My name is Heathcliff," the oldest man called. "With me are my second-in-command, Asuna, and the Beater, Kirito," the Boss nodded before the red-and-white clad man continued, "but you are mistaken. I am afraid you are in our way, so it will be you who will fall by our swords." The monstrous blacksmith threw his head back and gave a deep, throaty laugh.

"Do you know who I am? I am the **Cyclops** Brontes, one of the makers of Zeus' master bolt! Do you truly think you can beat me while I wield a weapon of my own design?"

"Let's find out shall we?" Kirito asked, leveling his blade at the **Cyclops**. By then, most of the lesser mobs had been defeated and the players rallied behind the Beater. As much as some did not like the Black Swordsman, he was one of the strongest players and was, therefore, an obvious leader.

"It's just you versus almost a hundred players," he continued. "Do you really think you can beat us?"

"Maybe not," the **Floor Boss** concluded, "but I can take at least some of you with me and make the world a little bit of a better place." Without another word the group of half-bloods charged.

**End of Chapter 15**

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**And that's the first part of this Boss battle. What did y'all think? Suggestions are welcome and, as always, read and review. Until next week,**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	16. When Prophecies Come True

**And here is the contunuation of the Boss Fight. I hope you guys are ready for this. And a big shoutout to Anon (guest), Omega Alpha Hydra, People Are Zebras, the Oracle of Akemi, Leftback02, Sinister Fox 02, and Guest (guest) for your reviews. I now know why authors write cliffhangers, and let me tell you, it feels GREAT over here on the Dark Side (we've got cookies!). **

**Anon: I could not stop smiling for a good half an hour after I read your review. Thank you. I hope the wait didn't kill you!**

**People Are Zebras: I am well aware and it was no mistake. In the manga, Heathcliff believes Asuna to be tomboyish. Because of her boyish attitude, he calls her Asuna-kun rather that Asuna-chan.**

**Omega Alpha Hydra: Thanks, but you've gotta wait till Friday or I'll run out of stuff and you'll be left on one for a while (I'd make it a cliffy).**

**the Oracle of Akemi: I really did enjoy writing him. Now that I think about it, he and Kibaou would get along, wouldn't they?**

**Leftback02: Thank you very much!**

**Sinister Fox 02: Oh my gods. OH MY GODS! YES, ABSOULUTLY, but that part is quite far away since there are quite a few time skips. I'll give you credit when that part rolls around.**

**Guest: I'm just trying to keep the lengths consistent, more or less. Plus, I always have something to post the next week. At this rate anyway.**

**P.S. Sorry for the long A/N**

**P.S.S. Band Camp started this week and has been a LONG four to five days (since I'm posting in the morning), and I've got three more weeks to go. Lend me your strength!**

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**Chapter 16:**

**When Prophecies Come True**

_"It's just you versus almost a hundred players. Do you really think you can beat us?" Kirito asked._

_Maybe not," __**Brontes the Thunder Cyclops**__ concluded, "but I can take at least some of you with me and make the world a little bit of a better place." Without another word the group of half-bloods charged_, but the Boss was prepared.

The players had barely passed into his striking zone when the first player dropped with a hole in his leg. The son of Hermes didn't have more than a second to react before the Boss's spear was implanted in his chest and his health reached zero. Brontes didn't acknowledge the life he had just ended and attacked his next victim.

Two more players fell by the time the players were in range to pull off their own attacks; a male member of the **KOB** and a female of a newer Guild called the **Aincrad Liberation Force**, or the Army for short. He fought with his spear like a madman and was almost as fast as Asuna when attacking. Brontes' next target was Heathcliff, but the man used his shield to deflect the thrust, which ploughed into the floor on his left. Kirito hopped on to the weapon implanted into the ground and pulled off two **Sword Skills** before having to fall back. While the social outcast was slicing at his face, Asuna jumped forward, stabbing at the legs of the large **Cyclops**.

The rest of the group charged forward, but they were forced to retreat quickly when Brontes swung the hilt of his spear, sending a couple players over the heads of the others. The **HOO** (minus Silica since she was still unconscious) rushed forward, slashing or stabbing at his legs furiously. The giant blacksmith stabbed back, but Percy was able to redirect his attack. Nevertheless, Percy lost almost a tenth of his health due to the sheer force of the thrust.

The Boss let out a roar at he felt the back of his calves being cut and a quick look would have revealed the red outfits of the **Fuurinkazan Guild** with their swords glowing. Brontes grabbed a gear from his workbench and threw it at the offending group. Said group scattered to avoid the bronze projectile. Brontes turned to the front; the constant attacks having already reduced his health by a bar and three quarters.

The Boss drove his weapon into the mass around him, turning an unfortunate son of Apollo into a demigod-kabob who was lifted up with the spear even as his health quickly depleted. Brontes attacked again, but hit nothing except the ground. The sudden stop caused the player still impaled to slide down the shaft, screaming. He hit the ground hard and broke into polygons.

"What a horrible way to die," Travis commented to his brother. "I just want to go in my sleep."

"I agree, but aren't we technically asleep right now?" Connor questioned as the group in general avoided Brontes' next stab. "Dammit! And at this rate..."

"We're not going to die yet!" Nico shouted at the twins, plunging his sword in the floor to summon some skeletons. Many other children of Hades, including Kirito, followed his example. The summons wouldn't do much damage, but they would give the players time for a breather.

"New plan!" Heathcliff yelled as five vertebrae, an ulna/radius pair, and an eerily grinning skull flew over his head. "Tanks deflect the attacks with your shields and try to pin down his spear! Speed fighters stab the legs. Archers equip your bows and fall back. Aim for the eye!"

Brontes had just stepped on the last undead when a plethora of arrows imbedded themselves around his brown iris- one of them charged with electricity- inciting a roar of pain as his third **Health Bar** reached zero. Heathcliff's plan was very effective until Brontes' last **Health Bar** dropped past 25 percent.

"Now more Mr. Nice Brontes!" The Cyclops yelled, growing to twice his former size. He threw his now too small spear into the now smaller looking group of players, impaling a son of Ares from the Army through the heart- a one-hit kill. The **Cyclops** laughed as a hammer materialized in his hand. He kicked out, knocking away the front row of players, before swinging. The new weapon moved like a golf club, its course heading directly toward Travis.

"No!" Katie and Connor shouted. The male was too far away to do anything, but Katie shoved the twin out of the way and took the attack full force. She sailed halfway across the room, but was caught by Travis who, in his desperation to save her, unlocked **Hermes Skill: ****Sudden Sprint**. The new ability allowed the twin to dash just fast enough to catch the girl who had saved his life. Her health was dropping and her breaths were ragged, but being caught prevented her from dying as she hit the floor.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Travis asked, fishing through his pouch for a healing item. "Why the hell would you do something so risky?" He finally found a cube of **Ambrosia** and popped it into Katie's mouth just as her health fell into the red.

"I don't know," she answered, her health stationary for the time being. "My body kinda reacted on its own." The crunch of the floor crumbling sounded in the distance, but the two ignored it.

"Really?" He questioned skeptically as he pulled a vial of **Nectar** out that the daughter of Demeter did not see. "You sure you don't know?"

"You caught me," she said (no pun intended), having noticed her health begin to fall again from the amount of damage that one attack did, but much slower than before. She thought she was going to die and, if she _was_ going to die, she wanted to get everything off her chest. "It's because I'm in love with you." Travis's hand froze halfway to her mouth, clutching the vial of healing liquid. His brain started working again when Katie's **Health Bar** began flashing, now in the single digits. He quickly started pouring the golden drink into the girl's mouth, effectively saving her life.

"You- you're in l-love with me?" His voice cracked. She nodded after finishing the potion, surprised at her boldness due to the near death experience and the thought that she would run out of HP and leave the world of the living.

"Gods," he said, trying to relieve some of the tension, "and here I thought I was always stuck in the friendzone." She gave a small laugh as the battle raged in the background.

**AT THE BOSS, MAYBE 3 MINUTES AGO OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT**

Katie sailed over the player's heads, having been struck by the Boss's hammer.

"Katie!" The twins shouted. Travis began running in what seemed like a futile attempt to save the daughter of Demeter, but after a couple steps he blurred out of focus.

"What the hell?" Connor muttered. He would have been hit by one of the Boss's wide swings due to the distraction of his twin unlocking a new skill, but Kirito was able to tackle him, the large weapon only hitting the empty air over their heads. Brontes raised his hammer to attack the floored players, but Nico **Shadow Travel****ed** to his neck and attacked costing the **Cyclops** a dozen HP. The giant blacksmith went to squash Nico like a bug, but said 'bug' hopped off his shoulder. Nico **Shadow Travel****ed** again at the last second, falling into his own dark outline to avoid any damage he could have taken from that height.

"Kirito-kun," Asuna called. "Go left. Klein, go down the center. I'll take the right." Kirito stood and started running toward Brontes at an angle, crossing the red-clad guild leader who was headed directly forward. Heathcliff's sub-commander dashed right and the attackers converged on the Boss, but their target jumped, the swords of the leaders meeting where their opponent had been only a couple seconds prior.

"Scatter!" Kirito shouted as Brontes started his decent. The demigods got out from under the Boss's shadow, but the shock wave from the landing cracked the floor and sent the fleeing leaders into the front line, reducing their health by a considerable amount. Brontes reached for the table behind him and picked up something, but the demigods were unable to tell what it was until the **Cyclops** threw it. The machine's shape caused Percy to freak.

A bronze pelican exited the Boss's hand.

"Move Percy!" Klein yelled. "What the hell are you doing? Move!" But Percy did not move; he stared at the mechanical bird as it came closer and closer. Only Annabeth pulling him out of the way caused Percy to avoid the Boss's projectile.

"Pelicans?" Annabeth shouted at him and the metal avian crashed behind him. "You're afraid of pelicans? What. The actual. Hell, Percy!?"

The son of Poseidon was about to argue that it wasn't his fault that he was attacked on the beach as a kid by a (and I quote) wide-mouthed feathered fiend from hell, but his response died on his lips as he pushed Annabeth away from him. The hammer that swung between them severed both of his arms and knocked Riptide out of his now-unresponsive hand. The nearly indestructible sword clattered at the other side of the silent room. Percy stared at his stump arms, the red polygons floating away from just above where his elbows had been.

The adrenaline in his system caused the pain to come a second later. Given, it was only a fraction of what the actual pain would have been if the world was real rather than virtual, but that did not stop the fact that Percy had just had _both of his arms destroyed_. His pained yell mixed with Brontes' unrestrained laughter as the male New Yorker's health plummeted. He reached for some **Ambrosia and Nectar**, but his attempt to heal was halted by his lack of the lower part of both appendages.

Annabeth stepped toward Percy, shoving a couple cubes of **Ambrosia** into his screaming mouth, silencing and saving him. She turned to Brontes, leveling an **Athena Glare** at him that was so strong that the **Cyclops**, despite being a computer program, started to sweat nervously.

"Brontes?" She asked in an eerily calm voice. "Just what do you think you just did?" The Boss tried to respond, but he was unable to. Annabeth approached the giant blacksmith with even steps as the conscious members of the Guild surrounded their crippled leader. She stepped on the **Cyclops'** foot and hopped from one limb to another like a blond Asuna. The daughter of Athena found herself on Brontes' nose, staring into his large, brown, digital eye.

"I'll say this once, so listen up bastard. If anyone hurts my friends, then I will personally hunt them down and kill them in the most painful way possible. Understand?" The one-eyed monster only let out a strangled whimper. "Good. Now pass the word on to your friends guarding the upper floors." She stabbed her dagger into the blacksmith's virtual cornea. The Boss whimpered again before bursting.

"That was freaking AMAZING!" Shouted a younger player. The others celebrated, the **CONGRATULATIONS** message appearing over their heads. Asuna took count of the remaining players, a disturbed look spreading over her face.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked as Annabeth walked over with her **Last Attack Bonus**, an electric spear.

"Eight," the sub-commander muttered quietly.

"What?" Annabeth asked, not understanding what her half-sister had said.

"We lost eight people," Asuna elaborated. The players closest to them danced happily, not hearing their low and gloomy conversation. The party going on around them seemed to cause the loss of life to strike harder than any **Floor Boss** could.

"L-let's get to the next floor," Percy suggested. He would have gone to pick up his sword before leaving, but the rest of the **Heroes of Olympus** approached, Nico carrying **Riptide** and Travis holding hands with Katie. Silica was awake too; she was not happy to have missed most of the fight and, as Connor had called it, Annabeth's 'badassery'. Luckily her mood improved as she and the group laughed at armless Percy. "Come on guys," their fearless leader pleaded. "The sooner we get to a safe zone, the sooner I get my arms back." He wiggled his upper limbs, trying to make a point, but all it did was cause another round of laughter and lighten the gloomy atmosphere.

"Ms. Annabeth," Heathcliff called, walking over, "I do believe you deserve the honors of opening the door."

"Yes, Mr. Heathcliff." The blond daughter of Athena strode over to the bronze double doors and pushed them open with a bit of difficulty.

The next floor was unlocked.

**End of Chapter 16**

* * *

**So what did y'all think of the fight and Annabeth's 'badassery'? All the predictions came true, in a way. Just in case someone doesn't understand, I'll list them in the order they happened.**

**1) **_"One of you will be useless."_

**Silica was useless in the fight because she was unconsious**

**2) **_"You will save a life, and you may die doing so."_

**Katie almost died saving Travis' life**

**3) **_"One of you two is going to be terrified in this upcoming fight."_

**Travis was terrified because Katie almost died in his arms (that would have been scarring wouldn't it?)**

**4) **_"A secret will be revealed and it may mean the end of one of your lives."_

**And the secret revieled between Percy and Annabeth was Percy's fear of pelicans, not his crush, and it almost crushed him (how ironic). Bet you weren't expecting that! **

**Anyway, it's always nice to hear from you all, so review!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	17. Tales of Tyrants

**The next floor is here, and let me tell you, the amount of stuff I have written for this floor is quite a bit more than the others so far. I'm working on the Boss Fight right now, so all ideas for the next are welcome. Reviews from last chapter came from Omega Alpha Hydra, Anon (guest), Leftback02, the Oricle of Akemi, Sivadet, and 888aaa22. None seem to need responses, but I'm glad y'all liked the way I, as Anon put it, 'Rick "Roll" Riordan'-ed you. Don't ask me why I chose pelicans, it just came to me while I was on vacation in Florida. Without further ado...**

* * *

**Chapter 17: **

**Tales of Tyrants **

"Finally!" Percy exclaimed as the crowd of demigods entered the city of floor 7. Once the players entered the safe zone all lost body parts were returned, including both of Percy's arms that had been severed saving Annabeth. He wiggled his fingers, fully appreciating his hands for the first time. The rest of the guild chuckled behind their leader, amused.

"Glad to have your arms back Sea-for-brains?" Thalia asked, smirking behind her older cousin.

"You have no idea," muttered Percy, his joy diminished slightly by his lack of ability to think of a good comeback.

As the final person entered the city limits, a sprout grew from a crack in the center of the plaza. It rapidly reached a height of eight feet and looked like a closed flower. The plant (a lily Katie informed them) opened, revealing a beautiful, seven-foot tall woman with dirt-brown hair and grass-green eyes wearing a dress of vine woven with flowers of all kinds. Her cursor read '**Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture**'.

"Hello brave heroes," Demeter said in a sad voice that carried a hint of longing. "I wish I could welcome you to this beautiful city, but as you can see it lay in near ruin." The **NPC**'s words proved true when, with one look, the players gasped. Usually, the cities were lush and bustling with artificial life, but this one appeared to have been beaten down. The buildings were old, cracked, and in need of repair. The characters looked even worse. They shuffled through the streets, taking no notice of the goddess and starring down at their feet. Their backs were bent and more than one seemed to have been physically assaulted.

"What could have happened here?" Katie gasped, the emotion emulator forming tears in her eyes.

"Listen, dear daughter, and I shall tell you." Demeter waved her arm and a little town made of wheat, complete with miniature grain people, formed itself for the demigods to watch. The diorama looked like a newer, better version of the city they stood in. The wheat people seemed full of life, unlike the **NPC**s in the streets around them. Percy could have sworn he heard laughter coming form the small, grain village.

"Listen," Demeter repeated, "for I will tell you of the tragedy that befell this city of Boura." As the goddess spoke, the miniature city played out her story. "You see, this land was ruled by the beautiful and generous Queen Tuela after her husband's death. The people rejoiced; the king had not been as kind as his wife and the economy suffered from his control. Tuela was able to bring prosperity to this area of Achaea. She was a wonderful woman and a personal friend, but nothing lasts forever. The queen ruled for nearly ten wonderful years before she fell ill and passed away. Her only son, Prince Nico, took the crown. The Prince did not inherit his mother's kindness, he ruled like his father had: like a tyrant. Greed overtook the newly crowned king and he raised taxes to near unbearable prices. Any man who was unable to pay was thrown in jail or, if they fought back, executed." The diagram played out the gruesome scene she described, making Percy thankful that the wheat people didn't bleed. Gasps spread throughout the audience before the goddess continued her story.

"The women and children had it worse. While the men may have been given a quick death, they were sold into slavery to traveling merchants. In only five years, King Nico undid all the good his mother had done. Now the king rests in his throne room at the top of the castle, guarding a passageway to the next kingdom." The grain compiled into a man sitting on an elaborate throne, a crown on his head. The man looked up at the demigods, smirked, and fell apart. The wheat collapsed until nothing was left. "The question now is: what will you do?"

"We'll fight, of course." Asuna's voice rose over the murmurs running through the players. "The **NPC**s may not be real people, but they look human and I can't stand by and watch this. We'll train, we'll kill the king, and we'll move to the next floor for our freedom as well as theirs."

"We'll at least kill the king and move on," Kirito muttered.

"I wish you luck, brave demigods. I would help you, but the gods are bound by the ancient laws to not interfere directly. The most I can do is give you my thanks and hope you succeed." The woman stepped back into the giant lily and the flower closed around her. It wilted, turned brown, and faded back into the crack from which it grew, taking the goddess with it.

"So..." Percy said through the heavy silence. "Who's up for lunch?"

* * *

"This place is a dump," Thalia commented. "Though I'm not surprised: it is run by Nico."

"Hey!" her younger cousin called with a hurt expression. "We just have the same name."

"Whatever you say Death Breath. Can we go to one of the lower floors for food and rest?" Her question was not surprising; nearly every player who survived the fight against Brontes had thought it at least once.

"I agree with Thalia," Pollux said. "The food's a lot cheaper here, but it sucks." The son of Dionysus ripped another chunk from his burned bread with a grimace.

"They're right," Percy mumbled, lifting his drink. "I usually get an energy boost from water, but this stuff is so murky it makes me want to drink from the camp bathroom. And that's saying something."

"Fine," Annabeth breathed. "Let's head down to the Crete Café on floor 4 for a proper meal." Her statement was met with a round of nods as the Guild stood, but they were interrupted before they could leave.

"So my prophecy was fulfilled, but no one died? That's a real shame. The game would have been a little better with one or two less of you losers."

"Thank you, Octavian, for your wonderful opinion." The **HOO** rolled their eyes at Percy's sarcastic remark and the Oracle's following scowl. "Since your prediction was completely correct, you win a prize!" With fake enthusiasm, Percy shoved his half eaten burnt bread into Octavian's hands and, while the blond male was trying to respond, threw the nearly full cup of murky water in his face. "Congratulations!"

The son of Poseidon's final remark and the son of Apollo's sputtering sent the rest of Percy's Guild over the edge. They collapsed, breathless and gasping through their laughter. Octavian cocked a fist, ready to slug the smirking demigod in front of him, but his leg jerked, causing the blond to fall backwards. Thalia laughed, having used her **Electrokinesis** to shock the spawn of the Sun god.

"You'll regret this," he hissed, standing and shuffling away. "You'll all regret this!" He turned, but his dramatic exit was ruined when his leg jerked again.

"You know you're not helping matters by making him hate us more than he already does, right?" Pollux asked.

"Yeah. I know," Percy sighed. "But he is just so... I'm not sure what. Irritating just doesn't quite cover it."

"We understand Percy-kun. Now let's go get some real food. We can train tomorrow."

"Good idea Silica. Let's go!"

"Iku ze!" Connor said excitedly, getting confused looks. "What? It means 'let's go' is Japanese and I learned it from _Soul Eater_. Is there a problem?"

"Not at all." Percy placated the twin. "Like you said, iku ze!"

* * *

"Are you sure there are monsters out here?" Silica questioned, shifting her egg holster and glancing around the area just outside of Boura on the seventh floor. "We've been out here for almost twenty minutes."

"Yes, I'm sure Silica." Percy answered. "Why would there be a floor with no monsters?"

"I don't know," she replied. "Maybe they want us to go train on the lower floors. It's much nicer there anyways."

"Well, yes," Connor supplied, "but can you imagine how much grinding that would take to level up? Our best bet is to find the monsters of this floor."

"I guess you're right Connor-san, but-" Silica's argument was cut off by a loud screech. The **HOO** looked toward the noise, but the sun blinded them. Suddenly, a blur swooped down, ripping Silica's dagger out of her hand and leaving three shallow cuts in her arm; the attack removed about four percent of the girl's health and left her defenseless.

"He he he. Shiny," a voice said. The demigods looked upwards to see one of the monsters of floor 7 for the first time.

"Pretty," the digital creation commented. The creature looked like a woman with a torn piece of fabric covering her chest, but the feathered wings that held her aloft stunted the human image her top half provided. The monster's upper half was mostly normal; she held Silica's dagger in clawed yet humanoid hands, studying the weapon with beady, bird-like eyes. The lower half of the beast was covered in feathers starting at the creature's stomach and eventually faded into large bird legs with three talons in the front and one on the back.

"What the hell is that?" Pollux asked, stepping in front of his girlfriend defensively.

"A **Harpy**," Annabeth answered calmly, glaring at the feathered being. "They're said to be clever scavengers, kind of like vultures. But unlike vultures they're half human. Well actually they just appear half human. They're still monsters."

"Thanks for the heads up," Travis said. "Any weaknesses?"

"Nothing specific in the myths," the blond replied, "Just that they are not as smart as humans and are attracted to shiny things."

"You don't say," Silica muttered, rubbing her arm where the **Harpy**'s claws had scratched her.

"I'll give it something shiny," Thalia growled as she notched an arrow and charged it. She fired, the projectile sparking along its arc. It sunk into the monster's gut before discharging, reducing the digital creature's health by 20%. The **Harpy** squawked, dropping Silica's dagger as her arms jerked.

"Sisters!" The **Harpy** cried, righting herself. "Come to me and we shall feast on demigod meat!"

"Did I forget to mention that they usually fly in groups?"

"Yes Annabeth," Nico muttered with a sarcastic undertone as he handed back Silica's weapon handle first. "As a matter of fact, you did." Multiple birdish calls sounded around the small Guild. Nine more **Harpies** surrounded the group, calling their hideous cries the whole time.

"Ten monsters versus nine demigods," Connor muttered with a smirk, "That equals a lot of **EXP.** I like these numbers."

"Don't get overconfident," Katie warned. "They have near human intelligence, remember?"

"We know," Nico said. "Any other comments before we get to the action?"

"I've got one," Percy answered. "Don't die!"

"Percy, you stole that from me!"

"But Annabeth, it applies to this situation." Any retort the daughter of Athena had went unvocalised as the lead **Harpy** called for her sisters to 'kill them and take all their shinies'. The other nine monsters swooped down, each aiming for a different person. The players were able to keep hold of their weapons, but the group lost almost 10% of their health, collectively; the feathered beasts only losing around 5%.

"I think they should be weaker if we can ground them," Annabeth called, surveying the flying creatures as they recovered their altitude for another pass.

"How are we going to do that?" Connor mumbled. "It's not like we're their parents."

"I sure hope we aren't," the other twin commented. "That would be awkward."

"Now is not the time, smart-asses," Thalia growled." What she's saying is aim for the wings."

"Thank you Thals."

"Shut up Bethy."

"Enough!" the lead **Harpy** cried. "I grow tired of their nonsense. Kill them." The monsters dove down again, but this time the players were ready for them. The sword users swiped, cutting off three wings and critically damaging five enemies. The downed and injured monsters were quickly dispatched soon afterwards. The archer leapt back, dodging her opponent and firing an arrow into the bird woman's arm before she took off again. Annabeth and Katie were able to do more damage than they took, but were unable to render the feathered appendages of their opponents useless before they carried the digital enemies skyward again. Silica cried out.

"Silica-chan," Pollux called, the honorific having become a habit by that point. He ran to the girl's side, but something seemed different. "Are you hurt?"

"No Pollux-kun, but they took my **Dragon's Egg**." Above them, a **Harpy** cackled greedily.

"Look sisters. It's so shiny." The monster held Silica's ruined harness in one clawed hand, the other having extracted its contents, which she gripped gingerly.

"Give her back the egg," Percy demanded, leveling his sword at the **Harpy** thief.

"Why should I?"

"Because if you don't do it willingly, we'll force you to." Thalia took aim at the hovering opponent, but Annabeth held out her arm, stopping her.

"If you kill that **Harpy,** the egg will fall. I'm not sure if it could withstand that impact."

"Fine," Thalia growled, shooting a hole in the wing of the Harpy she had shot previously. The monster shrieked, falling to the ground where it burst. "Give the egg back and we'll leave the last four of you alive."

"You think we would just leave and not avenge our fallen sisters? How stupid can you demigods get?"

"Well, if that's how you're going to be," Percy interrupted, "then how about this? Now!" Katie and Pollux raised their arms, causing a mass of plants to burst out of the ground. Two of the feathered women squawked, were enveloped in vines, and crushed. The lead **Harpy** was able to evade the attack due to her altitude, but the creature holding Silica's favorite item was not as fortunate. The summoned plants did not kill it, but the jolt caused the feathered woman to lose her grip on the stolen egg.

"No!" Silica cried, running as fast as her legs would allow toward the falling object. The Japanese girl jumped, slid a few feet, and caught the **Dragon's Egg** just before it impacted the ground. She rested the egg on the earth carefully, breathing a sigh of relief.

The remaining **Harpy,** her sister having been dragged down and cut to ribbons, scowled. She dove, aiming to snatch the egg and flee, but her goal started to crack. The lone monster abandoned its attack as the egg shook, a piece falling to the ground. All those present watched as a small, light blue dragon crawled out of the broken vessel. It blinked at Silica with red eyes, memorizing the face of the new **Dragon-Tamer**.

"Coo," the newborn dragon coughed, a puff of green gas covering the pig-tailed girl. Silica's health rose slightly as the little beast wiggled onto her lap.

"Aww," Silica smiled, petting the dragon. "She's so cute."

"As touching as that is," the last **Harpy** growled, reminding the players of her presence, "I still need to take revenge for my sisters and I'm going to take at least one of you with me!" The digital creation dove down, aiming to impale the youngest player and her new pet in one fell swoop, but a knife, thrown with just enough accuracy, plunged into the wing on the beast's right. The monster flopped, bouncing off the earth twice before coming to rest at the feet of the majority of the Guild. She looked up at the angry faces of the **Heroes of Olympus**.

"Uhh… Mercy?"

* * *

Silica cradled her new dragon as they walked back to the ruined city of Boura. Now that there were no enemies, the demigods took a moment to actually look at the creature.

The dragon was about one and a half feet long and only nine inches tall. The majority of the drapon's being was covered in bright blue feathers and it possessed a small amount of baby fat. Its head was triangular with little tufts of a lighter blue fur covering its ears. Its eyes, though closed at the moment, were a crimson that matched the eyes of the girl holding the animal. The neck was slender, but it panned out into the body which sprouted four small legs and two larger, fathered wings that would have a wingspan of almost two feet if spread. The dragon's tail narrowed before ending with thee small feathers on either side.

"It's so cute," the girls sans Thalia gushed. "Have you thought of a name yet?"

"Well, I took Pollux-kun's advice and decided to wait until it hatched, and now that it hatched..."

"So what's the name?" Katie asked impatiently.

"Pina," the younger girl answered. "I realized when she crawled into my lap that she reminded me of my cat back in the real world." The newly dubbed Pina cooed from her spot in Silica's arms.

"Well that was exciting," Nico commented. "Why don't we go down to one of the lower floors to show her off and celebrate?"

"Oh, could we go to that Asian restaurant where we met the **Fuurinkazan Guild**?" Connor asked. "I want another crack at learning how to use chopsticks."

"Sure, sounds like a plan," Percy answered.

**End of chapter 17**

* * *

**This had been two chapters, but niether was long enough. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed and, as always, _leave a review_! Up next will be a Quest and then the Boss Dungeon. I can't wait, but I will because I don't want to run out of stuff.**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	18. A New Quest

**OH MY GODS, I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING YESTERDAY! I had a lot of stuff to do and very little time to get it done and the story totally slipped my mind. *excuse over***

* * *

**Welcome back to another chapter of Demigod Heroes Online! I do hope you all had a good week. Reviews came from the Oracle of Akemi, Sivadet, Leftback02, Guest, and Fabulously-Flawed. Thank you all for your positive notes on my writing, you have no idea how happy they make me. I regret to inform you, but I will be unavalible to post or write much next week due to away band camp, so you will all have to wait an extra one and a half to two days for the next chapter.**

**And a huge thank you to Fabulously-Flawed for her multiple reviews and insights. You would not believe the insanely stupid dance I did on Tuesday when I saw that I had five reviews that morning. I should have gone back and corrected those things you pointed out by now, so thank you again.**

**Anyway . . .**

* * *

**Chapter 18:**

**A New Quest**

Pina was a celebrity.

It was easily true; the moment someone saw the **Heroes of Olympus **Guild with their youngest member in possession of a new, feathered pet, word spread like wildfire. By the time the nine members had made their way to the restaurant, there had been 20 trade requests for Pina, 27 male players had asked her out and were beaten back by Pollux, and nearly every person on the floor had climbed over someone else to get a glimpse of the first recorded **Dragon-Tamer **and her new companion.

"Gods," Thalia mumbled. "Is there no end to them?" she swung her bow like a baseball bat, using the Knockback Effect to repel a chubby boy in pink and a wiry boy in yellow who kept shouting 'Silica-chan, do you remember us?' at the top of their lungs. "Silica, do you know these two?"

"I wish I didn't," the younger girl replied, shrinking into her boyfriend's embrace. "Those are the two wierdoes we told you about." The girl's new pet dragon was curled up on her head, napping somehow.

"They are?" The daughter of Zeus punched the chubby one in the face, her fist sparking. "Beat it!"

"Hurry Up!" Connor and Travis called, holding open the door for their Guild to enter. They pushed through, closing the doors tightly to keep the crowd out even as the **NPC** waitress calmly asked how many. As the digital woman led the way to the far side of the building, Percy looked for something to hold back the masses. He spied a broom and, hoping it would hold, shoved it through the handles. He sprinted, praying to Kiyaba or whatever gods were in the system that the broom's durability would last for at least a little while. Behind him and without his knowledge, the broom glowed a soft, almost unnoticeable, blue. By the time Percy reached the others, he found that instead of only eight people waiting for him were a total number of fourteen, six of whom were dressed in mostly red.

"Klein!" Percy gasped. "How are you?"

"Pretty good," the scruffy man replied, slurping his noodles from whatever he'd ordered before the other group arrived. "We weren't expecting to see you guys when we came down for a meal and now we hear that Silica-san is the first **Dragon-Tamer** of **Demigod Heroes Online**! To say we were surprised would be an understatement. What to tell me how it happened?"

Percy was about to respond, but the Stolls beat him to it. The twins began regaling **Fuurinkazan** with an over-the-top account of the story in which there were more than three-dozen **Harpies** attacking and they did most of the fighting. Connor was about to continue his part of where he saved Percy, Thalia, and Nico from 'a fate worse than death' when Katie smacked both of them, knocking them into their meals where they gurgled a bit before slipping onto the floor, unconscious. She and Annabeth retold a truer version of the tale, though theirs did include more than ten enemies.

"Amazing," Dale muttered as the girls finished their edition of the fight. Percy glanced over his meal at Silica where she was feeding Pina bits of beef from her own bowl. The girl looked as if she had had the pet dragon her entire life and it made Percy wonder just what it was like to have a pet. The apartment where his mother and he had lived in had never allowed any animals except service dogs, but Percy had always wanted an animal companion. Thinking about it, Percy realized that he could have had a dog since he and his mother were planning to move in with his stepfather, Paul, the week after **DHO** launched.

That led to another thought- what was his mother doing right now? Was she at work, selling sweets at that shop in the subway? Or writing that book she had wanted to start since as long as Percy could remember? Was she- was she crying by his hospital bed, hoping he would come back, praying that that little chip in the helmet wouldn't overload and kill him? What would she do if he didn't come back? What if he died saving someone in a **Boss Fight**? Would she wait for his friends so they could tell her how he died bravely? Would she fall into depression? If she did, would Paul be able to pull her out of it? Percy was broken out of his reverie when a hand shook his shoulder, the dull murmur in his ears clarifying into his name called by several different people.

"What?" Percy muttered incoherently. His eyes refocused quickly, turning the blurry image they were providing into more than just random, hazy colors. Annabeth's worried, gray orbs swam into view.

"Percy," she called again. "We've been calling for you for a couple of minutes now. Is something wrong? You were just staring off into space."

"It's nothing," Percy responded. "I was just thinking about my mom." That turned out to be the wrong thing to say. The atmosphere around the group dropped like a rock, thoughts of the world IRL filling everyone's minds. **Fuurinkazan**, being adults, thought of their jobs that they had not reported into for over four months now, wondering if they had been replaced yet. The younger players thought about their families and friends. School should have started by now since it was late summer when the death game began. Did their friends know they were trapped or did they believe the Heroes had vanished into thin air? Pollux was particularly saddened; his brother was gone from both the real and virtual worlds due to the whims of one madman.

"I'm sorry," Percy apologized, sensing the downhearted mood he had created with only two short sentences. "Let's talk about something else."

"Yeah," Klein muttered before shaking his head. A bright smile spread itself over the scruff of his face. "So I heard from Kirito about this hidden, high reward Quest in Boura..."

* * *

"You sure this is the right place?" Percy questioned, glancing to Klein for confirmation.

"Yes, I'm positive," he answered, "It's a timed Quest, three hours from the start if memory serves and Kirito is right, and **Fuurinkazan** doesn't have time to help you right now or any need of the top reward item. Luckily Kirito mentioned it being an unlimited Quest: you can do it as much as you want, as long as the floor doesn't change after we clear it, but the rewards drop after each go through. Good luck." Klein and Percy shook hands before the older, scruffier male walked off. "Oh! And remember to send a message if you're in a pinch, got that?" Klein called over his shoulder. Percy gave a thumbs-up and Klein nodded, waving as he walked into the city. The Guild turned to the house, a building that looked exactly like every other structure in the ruined capital. The only way someone would know about there being a Quest inside would be word of mouth from a beta tester, or, in this case, the Beater.

"Well, let's get started," Nico mumbled, giving a yawn afterwards. Percy pushed the door open to reveal a shabby, plain home. The walls were, like the outside, in need of repair and the furniture was falling apart in many more places that just the seams. What caught their attention was the occupant, the sound of crying reaching their ears. They rushed in to find a brunette **NPC** woman sobbing in the middle of the hallway. She seemed to be about five foot six, but it was hard to tell from her position in the dirt floor. She had her face buried into her palms, a yellow exclamation point floating over her head. Annabeth and Katie ran to the woman's side.

"What's wrong miss?" the daughter of Athena questioned, resting a hand on the crying lady's shoulder and activating the starting monologue. The female looked at the group, showing her brown eyes that were red from weeping. Tears streamed from her eyes as the gulped air, trying to speak to the players.

"My son," she sobbed finally. "I sent my son into the fields to hide during the tax runs so we could save enough to live for another year. We . . . I should have come up with a better solution. We had used the system to avoid having to pay for him since King Nico took the throne and raised all the taxes, but that was over a week ago. I fear those monsters that have moved in have got him. Please, you have to save him! I don't have much, but I can offer you a family heirloom, a bow that was given to my great-great-grandmother from Lady Artemis herself. Please, I want my son more than an old weapon I can't use." The woman froze, her appearance flickering slightly. An accept/decline option appeared in front of Percy stating that it was a timed Quest named _Into The Harpies' Nest_; they had three hours to find the child and return him to the house alive before it timed out. The rewards were a minuscule amount of **Drachmas**, enough **EXP** to get about half the Guild to the next level, and a **Hunter's Bow**. Percy only paused for a second before hitting the blue accept button.

"I thank you," the lady said, unfreezing and solidifying as the yellow exclamation point over her head changed to a dull gray question mark. "He usually hides in a cave to the north of the city. Oh, I hope he's alive." The woman collapsed into sobs again as the Heroes moved out, heading north to get the boy and win Thalia a new, better weapon.

* * *

The **HOO** were jogging north along a semi-beaten path while trying to avoid the sight of any monsters roaming the area that were in search of a couple of demigods to kill. The Quest has begun about ten minutes ago and the cave they had been told about was coming closer.

"Harpy, one o'clock!" Thalia called, her **Archer Vision** Skill providing her with increased and improved sight. The Guild veered left, staying out of the feathered woman's attack range.

They were on a time limit; there was no time to waste.

"Annabeth-chan," Silica called. "How much longer until we reach the cave?"

"At this pace? Five minutes probably," the gray-eyed girl responded. The younger female nodded, taking a deep breath and pushing just a little bit harder to keep up with the longer legs of her elders in the group. The girl's pet dragon swooped down from where she had been flying over the Guild, puffing a cloud of green gas over her owner, and restoring some of the girl's energy, for the time being anyway.

"Thanks Pina," the red-eyed girl sighed as a couple small cramps in her legs loosened. The dragon cooed, nuzzling the girl's cheek as best it could in flight before shifting her wings. The creature came to a rest on the head of her owner's boyfriend. Pollux smiled, reaching up and stroking the dragon without breaking stride.

They continued on after the path ended, only lapsing once when a **Harpy** materialized too close for them to avoid. Thalia quickly shot it in the chest, delaying its calls for reinforcements long enough for Percy to lop its head off. The monster had existed for a grand total of eight seconds.

"Good going Seaweed Brain," Annabeth commented as Percy caught up to the group from his detour. "We're almost there."

The cave loomed up ahead, set into the side of a large rock outcropping. The stone was a dull gray, old and weather-beaten. The mouth of the cave entrance was low; Annabeth, Percy, and Pollux were forced to duck while the twins' heads brushed the ceiling. They entered slowly, cautious of any **Harpies** that may or may not be in the vicinity. A worn out sandal, spotted with a dark, reddish brown stain, was the start of a trail of the same substance.

"Man," Katie whined. "And I thought there would be no blood in a VR game." The Guild gave a light chuckle as they followed the path, preparing to face the monsters this Quest had to offer.

**End of chapter 18**

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**Yup, left you all on a small cliffy. Don't worry, I have others much worse than this written already and I'm almost done with the Boss since I had an insperation strike on Sunday.**

**See you all next week/next Sunday!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	19. Into The Harpy's Nest (Part 1)

**I'm back! Did y'all miss me? I start school this week, but it's my last year of high school, so WOOO. Anywho, reviews came from Leftback02, the Oracle of Akemi, and a Guest. Thank you all, and yes, I did have fun at camp and wrecked my hands doing so. As we'd chant there: R! E! K! T! REKT! REKT! REKT! Now, without further ado . . . **

* * *

**Chapter 19:**

**Into The Harpy's Nest (part 1)**

Having found a lead on the missing boy, the Guild proceeded to follow the trail of what looked suspiciously like blood that began at the mouth of the cave. The trail seemed fresh by Thalia's synopsis, but that gave little leeway to their mission: the Quest was timed after all. About half an hour had gone by since Percy had pressed the accept button that began the timer and no one had any info on what to expect except for the type of monsters waiting for them.

**Harpies**, that's all they knew for certain. No numbers, no directions, nothing. The Heroes of Olympus were going in blind with no plan or any idea on how long it would take. For most people, the situation would be troubling.

Percy was ecstatic.

Annabeth, on the other hand, was nowhere near the emotional high their Guild leader possessed at the moment. Every unknown, every piece of information that they lacked unsettled her. She desperately wished she could halt the group and form a detailed plan, a suitable back up, and a back up for the back up but they were not only short on time; Percy Jackson was leading them.

Nearly every plan she had made for him or the group at large so far had gone out a proverbial window (and a literal one on Floor 3 once, but she didn't want to remember _that_ Quest) at some point in the inevitable fight. It usually started when their fearless leader made some stupidly ridiculous but usually necessary move that he managed pull off without dying by some miracle.

She never understood it. It was as if Lady Luck had fallen for their moronic leader so he could never lose. She was smart, there was no doubt about that, but the **CARDINAL** system always seemed to throw a wrench into her plans. And when that happened Percy would step up. He would rally the group and change the plans, giving himself the most dangerous tasks, risking life and limb to protect his friends, and then he would laugh and flash them that lopsided grin of his.

It was attractive. The thought caught her off guard. Percy had always been good looking and plenty of girls at Goode High had tried to snag him, but there was something about the way he fought that made her heart skip a beat. Was she falling for him?

'No,' she thought, shaking her head slightly. 'You are not falling for Seaweed Brain. Focus on the Quest.' She turned her attention back to the dark red trail they had been following. The drops making up their path had recently begun to lighten, the gaps between each lengthening until there was almost nothing to go on. Pollux, being more of a hunter IRL than the rest of the group, explained that it was common for trails to fade out if bleeding from non-fatal wounds caused them. Luckily, a light presented itself ahead.

"Wait," Annabeth stopped them. "Final checks. Does everyone have healing items and extra armor?"

"We did this before we left town," Travis complained.

"I know," she huffed. "It's just... I don't know. I'm unsettled is all."

"Annabeth admitted she doesn't know something?" Thalia gasped. "That's it! The world is over!"

"Don't worry Annabeth," the son of Poseidon said as his female cousin raved in the background, flashing that grin of his that made her heart jump despite her wishes for it not to. "Everything will be fine. See? Even I have **Ambrosia and Nectar**."

"Lot of good it did you when you had no arms," Nico snickered.

"Shut up Skull Face,"

"You wanna go Kelp Head?"

"Come here then Death Breath!"

"Make me Fish Face!"

"Guys," Katie interrupted. "We don't have time for this."

"She's right," Pollux interjected, placing Pina on Silica's head. "We have, what, two hours and fifteen minutes?"

"Something like that," Thalia said, eager for a fight. "Come on."

The opening they passed through revealed light. Lots and lots of light. A large hole in the ceiling showed the digital sun floating high in the sky and allowed the warm rays into the otherwise enclosed interior. The sunlight glinted off many shiny objects scattered around the space. Swords, daggers, bow-and-arrows, shields, and armor presented themselves as their eyes adjusted from the dark cave path, but bronze was not the only noticeable substance. Bones of all kinds (be they human or other) littered the ground. Thakfully for their noses, every bone had been picked clean, so no smell of decay lengered in the air.

At the other side of the room sat a bronze cauldron, many dry sticks scattered around the base as if prepared to cook something. A squawk sounded close to the hole above and, with only a motion from Annabeth, the Guild spread out, hiding behind mounds of equipment. A **Harpy** swooped down with more sticks clutched in its clawed hands. It quietly landed and, as the Heroes watched, looked into the large pot before cackling in demented glee. It smirked and said with a sickly sweet voice unbecoming of the facial expression, "only fifteen more minutes, dearie, until we cook you alive. Oh we will eat human flesh tonight. I can hardly stop myself from eating you now, but sister claims that cooked human is far tastier." A quiet, muffled whimper escaped the cauldron as the bird woman licked her lips. She took to the air to collect more dead branches. As the monster moved out of earshot, Percy turned to Annabeth next to him.

"Do you think we could get out without fighting?" He whispered.

"Unlikely," she responded simply. "Given the nature of the Quest and the time left after getting here, I'd say we're likely to face a Mini-Boss or possibly just a really big horde of monsters if we're lucky, or unlucky if you want to think that way. I predict that the **Harpies** will fly in at regular intervals and that the cauldron is booby-trapped. Based on these assumptions, we can conclude that fighting may be inevitable. I think our best plan of attack would be a close range group holding them back while the long range fighters. . . Percy?" She stopped, having noticed that his presence had moved from its position by her side. She skimmed the room with her eyes, finding her target already at the cauldron.

Percy had left after the 'unlikely' in Annabeth's rant, choosing to simply get the fight started and over with in time for dinner. He trudged over to the large pot and, after a quick once-over for traps, reached in, lifting the kid inside and hoisting him over his shoulder. The kid in question had short brown hair and large brown eyes making him greatly resemble his mother. He was around Silica in height, but was far lighter due to obvious malnutrition and his raggedy clothes hung from his thin form. The gag in the boy's mouth kept him from saying anything, but Percy ordered him to keep quiet anyway and not to resist.

"Are you nuts?" Annabeth hissed at him, stomping toward center of the room and meeting him halfway. She ordered Thalia to watch the sky and to shoot any monsters that enter before rounding back onto the son of Poseidon.

"I cannot believe you! There were so many things that could have gone wrong with what you just did! The cauldron could have been booby trapped." He mumbled about checking for those, but she didn't stop to hear him out. "You could have been ambushed by hidden monsters. The kid could have struggled and fallen on a weapon; did you think of that? Remember, if the kid dies, we fail. If you die, we-" Her rant ended when a **Harpy's** shriek pierced the air for only a second before an arrow embedded itself in her forehead. The **Critical Hit/Head Shot** that Thalia landed was a one hit kill. The monster's cry had not been long, but it was enough.

"Shit!" Annabeth cursed loudly, causing the other New Yorkers to blink in surprise. Annabeth rarely cursed before they were trapped inside the death game and, when she did, it was quiet and barely audible. The fact that she was doing so at such a high volume could only mean one of three things: **DHO** was getting to her, the monster or monsters she thought they were about to fight was/were powerful, or both.

"Quick!" Athena's daughter continued. "Katie, Pollux, cover that hole in as many plants as possible. Silica, have Pina breathe on the plants to strengthen them. We need to buy some time to get out." The demigods in question followed their orders, resulting in a large bulge of vines cutting off the only light to the room and muffling the cries of the winged monsters on the outside that were trying to claw their way in. The Guild exited the room and ran along the tunnel through which they'd come, Thalia making sparks in replacement of a flashlight. The light on the other side was rapidly approaching, but a small amount of figures limited the amount of bright sunlight that was directing their way.

"We got this," Travis called, his brother and himself taking place at the front of the running group. "Silica, give us a boost." On order, Pina flew forward, puffing green gas over the twin sons of Hermes. The power surge they gained propelled them forward and out the mouth of the cave, their swords cleaving through the **Harpies** in the entrance and opening a path for their friends. The group sprinted, constantly being dive-bombed by monsters trying to regain their lost meal. About halfway back, Silica, who was near the front, tripped on an ill-placed rock and lost a small portion of health from the fall.

"Silica-chan!" Pollux yelled, stabbing at a **Harpy** that was attempting to slash at the downed girl. He barely slowed, scooping up the girl to carry her bridal-style. There was plenty of time on the clock before their Quest ended, but at the rate they were being chased, there was no time for dilly-dallying. Silica blushed a deep red, embarrassed despite the dangerous situation.

"P-Pollux-kun," the girl stuttered as Pina circled the pair. She glanced at him, but she saw, out of the corner of her eye, an enemy approaching. Silica swung her dagger, the blade arcing over the male's shoulder and stabbing the clawed hand that was about to reach them. Adrenaline pumped through the son of Dionysus, causing him to speed up. This increase resulted in Silica's knife being forcefully ripped from the monster. The **Harpy** cried out in pain, grasping her injured hand as red polygons floated from the jagged cut.

The group ran until only an hour and a half was left on the timer visible to each member before they were forced to stop due to a shadowy figure in front of them and monsters cutting off all the other escape routes. The city was so close, yet so far away. Percy reached, trying to open his menu and send a message to Klien, but a smaller Harpy cut him off before pulling back.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the little mongrels who decided to try and steal our dinner. Sisters! It looks like instead of sharing a puny runt, we'll have a feast!"

**End of Chapter 19**

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**Don't you just love cliffhangers? I love writing them, but it just has to be at the right time. The chapter is a little short, but it was the right time. See you all next week and remember to review!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	20. Into The Harpy's Nest (part 2)

**Another week here and gone. School started and I have four and a half chapters to transfer to Word. YAY! Anywho, reviews were from Leftback02, the Oracle of Okami, and Nexus Leon (Guest). I greatly appreciate your responses and your appreciation of my puns (TY Nexus). Thank you to all the new followers and those who favorited. Here is the climax of the Quest.**

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**Chapter 20:**

**Into The Harpy's Nest (part 2)**

_"Well, well, well. If it isn't the little mongrels who decided to try and steal our dinner. Sisters! It looks like instead of sharing a puny runt, we'll have a feast!"_

The Guild compressed, Percy and Pollux setting the kid and Silica, respectively, in the center while the others poised themselves in a circular formation. The Guild leader placed himself between Annabeth and Connor facing the one who had spoken. Pina growled from her spot on Silica's head.

"And who might you be?" the son of the sea god asked in an irritated tone, glaring at the digital creation. Two **Health Bars **floated by her head.

"Me?" The lead Harpy questioned. "I am **Harpy Queen Tabatha**. And you, demigod, will be my dinner!" The newly identified Tabatha screeched, diving toward the son of Poseidon. He reacted appropriately, lifting his sword to block or parry the strike. The sounds of battle erupted around him along with the wails of the rescued kid about how they were doomed.

"Shut up kid!" Travis shouted in responce to the last sound, stabbing at another monster. "We know what we're doing! ... Kinda." He wispered the last part, his sword batting away another bird woman's clawed hand before slicing horizontally; taking off the **Harpy's** other arm at the elbow. "Ha! Take that, you pigeon!"

"Don't anger them!" The kid shouted as the monster wailed, clutching her stump arm to try to stop the flow of red pixels that substituted for blood in the virtual reality world.

"It's a bit too late for- get down kid!" Silica tackled the boy. A **Harpy's** claws slashed the air where their heads had been only a second before. Pina shot up, stabbing her own claws into the eyes of the aggressor. The dragon detached herself as the blinded creature lost altitude and crashed, health dropping and acquiring the status 'Blind'. Katie was about to finish her off, but the daughter of Demeter stopped herself when the bird woman began stumbling around and interfering with her fellow monsters.

"Is that normal?" Katie questioned as she indicated the blinded creature as she tried to fly, knocking another out of the air in the process.

"What happened?" Annabeth asked, prompting Silica to inform her of Pina's accomplishment. "In that case, yes. The **Harpy** is blind now, so it can't tell friend from foe. Oh crap!" The daughter of Athena hastily blocked an attack, batting the monster in Percy's direction where is ended up in the path of a strike dodged by **Harpy Queen Tabatha**. The lesser creature cried out as the blade cut through her and she vanished.

"That's another sister lost to you low-life Half-Bloods!" **Harpy Queen Tabatha** roared. "And she will be the last!" The Mini-Boss ceased her attack on Percy to charge Annabeth instead while a new opponent distracted her. The **Harpy** Queen's claws only scratched the daughter of Athena, but the lesser **Harpy** received an opening. The monster attacked while the demigoddess' guard was down, leaving four deep gashes that rendered Annabeth's health too low to safely continue. Luckily Travis was on her other side so he could occupy the weaker enemy while the leader of the Guild monopolized Tabatha's attention.

The blond teen fell back while Silica smoothly replaced her as to leave no gaps in their formation. She bit into a cube of Ambrosia, ignoring the cries of the **NPC** they were protecting. The cuts cleared and her health stabilized in the medium yellow area as Annabeth finished a serving of Nectar. She ate a bit more of the healing food to bring her health into the low green before switching places with Thalia so the daughter of Zeus was in the middle while the dagger-wielding blond had Nico on the left and Pollux on the right.

The archer of the party monitored the surroundings of her new position and, seeing no immediate threats, took aim at an enemy that seemed to be giving her younger cousin a hard time. She released the arrow and watched it for only a fraction of a second before the satisfying 'thunk' of the arrowhead embedding itself in her target reached her ears. Nico grumbled a barely audible 'thank you' before he was reengaged by the next opponent to spawn in.

Thalia reached back, mentally counting how many arrows she had left. Her answer was 24 and she could only hope they were enough. A soft disturbance in the air above her head was all the warning the punk/goth teen needed to alert her of an incoming enemy. She pulled another arrow, rolled away from the bird-woman's attack, and let the arrow fly. The projectile landed in the small of the mob's back, the feathered man-eater spiraling toward the ground as a result. A skeleton summoned by Nico quickly dispatched the Harpy, but his summons only lasted a minute.

"Is there no end to them?" The son of Hades growled as he parried a pair of claws. Utilizing his shadow abilities, he covered the **Harpy's** eyes in darkness to block her vision. As the bird woman reached up to find what was preventing her ocular senses from providing visual information, Nico slashed at her midsection with the **Sword Skill: ****Horizontal**, taking out a good chunk of her health points. He spun around and drew a small throwing knife in an attempt to damage the strongest enemy that was fighting his male cousin before his own opponent recovered. The knife landed, sinking into Tabatha's shoulder and providing the opening Percy needed to finish off her first **Health Bar**. The son of Poseidon shouted a quick 'thanks' before she attacked again.

Unfortunately, Nico miscalculated the time it would take for his enemy to recover. Her claws buried themselves into his shoulders as he turned back to face her. He cried out in pain as she tore her nails from his joints. She readied another strike and the son of Hades prepared to meet his virtual father the hard way, but the strike never came. The sound of breaking glass prompted him to open his eyes to find Connor with his sword extended.

"Need some assistance Skull Face?" Connor asked with his half of the 'Stoll Smirk' plastered on his face.

"No," Nico answered, readying and throwing a knife over the son of Hermes' shoulder where it lodged in another approaching enemy's head. "I think I can handle myself."

"Fair enough," Connor responded with a shrug, returning to his spot on Nico's left. "Come get some Chickens!" More than a couple of offended squawks answered the loud-mouthed son of Hermes' comment, but despite the number of responses, only two **Harpies** moved to attack the debatably less grown-up twin.

"Me and my big mouth . . . Nico?"

"On it." The younger player pulled another throwing knife from his personal storage, the weapon landing in the upper arm of one charging creature. The injured monster changed targets, aiming for the one who had damaged her physically rather than the previous insult to her appearance.

"Thanks," Connor said as his number of attackers halved. The event caused an old memory to surface. "Hey Travis! Do you remember that time when a couple of thugs tried to mug us?"

"Yeah I do bro!" Travis called back from the other side of the form as he ducked under a clawed hand. "You kicked one of them between the legs before we ran off." The laughter of his brother barely reached Travis's ears over the sounds of the battle around him.

"Wait a second," Katie said, annoyed, as she charged a **Sword Skill** with her dagger. "You two were almost mugged and you never told us?" Her weapon plunged into the chest of her adversary, reducing the health of the **Harpy** into the red.

"It was before we met you guys," Travis placated his new girlfriend as he cut a few fingers off his opponent's hand. "Anyway, would you like to go to the Crete Café with me on a date later?"

"We could use a break, so sure. What time?"

"Could you two plan your date later?" Pollux yelled as he ducked under a diving Harpy just before Thalia shot it out of the air. "Besides, could Silica and I join you?"

"A double date?" Katie asked as her opponent avoided her next swing.

"Oh! That sounds like a great idea!" Silica commented from Travis's right as she pulled off a lucky shot, stabbing her dagger into a **Harpy's** neck and killing the foe. Pina breathed on her, the green gas healing some of her health. "I think-"

"AHHH!" Percy cried out, his sword clattering to the ground as he clutched at four deep gashes in his chest. **Harpy Queen Tabatha** cackled in joy and the other monsters joined in, her health in the high red of the last **Health Bar** and Percy's health lower than that. Tabatha's glee caused her to lower her guard and miss the smirk that worked its way onto the Guild leader's face.

Thalia, Nico, and Katie did not miss their opening. An arrow followed by two throwing knives impaled the Mini-Boss's chest. Her laughter stopped abruptly as the last of her health disappeared.

"What? No! But I-!" She never finished her last sentence as her form became indistinct before busting. The other **Harpies** that had spawned over the course of the fight and survived, seeing the demise of their leader, fled. All but one **Harpy** took to the hills, the only exception being the one that had been blinded by Pina earlier. Thalia took pity on that one, ending her virtual existence with a quick arrow to the face.

"Is everyone OK?" Percy asked through a mouthful of Ambrosia as the Guild reconvened around the reason for their Quest. "How's everyone's health?"

"Forget about us!" Annabeth shouted. "We only have ten minutes left!"

* * *

The **Heroes of Olympus** made a beeline into the city in order to meet the deadline that was fast approaching. Upon entering the city of Boura, the group was forced to push through the crowds, offering only a few 'excuse us's and some 'out of the way!'s. They saw Asuna at some point, but before she could say anything to them Annabeth called out "Sorry, can't talk now! Maybe later!"

Percy had asked Nico if he could just Shadow Travel them to their goal, but everyone in the party had to be at the finish line (or dead) for it to count and Nico could barly transport himself multiple times, much less the entire Guild plus one. When they threw open the door to their destination, about one minute was left on the timer in each person's vision. Percy burst through first, out of breath but excited nonetheless.

"We made it ma'am!" Percy called out. "We found your son." The woman looked up from where they had left her. Her tear-filled eyes locked onto the young boy in their midst and she sprung up, tackling the boy in a hug and crying new tears of joy.

"My boy! Oh my boy! I was so worried that I would never see you again! Thank you heroes! Oh, I just remembered. I'll get your reward." She straightened from where she had been hugging her child to enter a small closet. She returned with a beautiful silver bow in her hands. The weapon was about two and a half feet from top to bottom and had intricate carvings engraved along the shafts. It had no visible string or arrows, but the shape of the bow suggested that the long-range weapon was already strung.

"Oh... my... gods," Thalia breathed, gingerly lifting the **Hunter's Bow** from the woman's outstretched hands. She felt power flow through her body as she examined the curved wood. She raised the bow, drew the nearly invisible string, and watched an arrow of moonlight, gleaming as if crafted of nothing but perfect silver, formed notched in the weapon.

Connor yawned, completely ruining the awe-filled moment. As Thalia whacked the tired twin with her old bow (so she did not damage the new one on his thick head), the "Quest Complete' message materialized before Percy, every member leveled-up at least once. The **EXP** gained raised the average level of the Guild to the upper side of 19.

"So," Percy began as his female cousin calmed down. "Dinner or sleep?"

**End of Chapter 20**

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**If you all were wondering, I based this fight scene on the final one from The Avengers where the camera rotated between each character, so please tell me how I did. You would not believe how hard I thought it was (though that might just be my laziness coming out). As always, see you next week and leave a review!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	21. The Dark Chastle

**Has anyone else with a story had troble seeing their views lately? It says I've had zero views, but I recieved three followers and four favorates (thanks to you guys by the way). If anyone knows a solution, PM me please. Thank you the Oracle of Akemi for your review. Others may have reviewed, but I did not recieve them. Sorry if that happened. Also, I'm on the search for a Beta Reader if anyone wants to help. Here's the next chapter of Demigod Heroes online.**

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**Chapter 21:**

**The Dark Castle**

"So how we're your dates?" Thalia teased as Pollux, Silica, Travis, and Katie returned to the hotel. Four days had passed since they'd completed the _Into The Harpy's Nest_ Quest and Thalia received the **Hunter's Bow**, making the date December 20th. At the moment, everyone in the Guild was at least level 20 and, with Christmas just around the corner, the players were getting both excited and depressed. Excited because, well, who's not excited about Christmas? On the other hand, they were missing spending the famous holiday with their families due to the whims of Kiyaba Akihiko. In order to lift spirits, the clearers had decided to explore the **Boss Dungeon** and attempt to clear the floor in time for the gift-giving day. The exploration would take place the next morning at 10:00 and, if it went well, the front-liners hoped to kill the Floor Boss, King Nico, that evening.

"It was great!" Silica exclaimed, answering Thalia's previous question. She proceeded to give a rather detailed account of the wonderful time she'd had. The Guild patiently listened (or pretended to) until the happy girl paused to take a large breath.

"So," Percy started as Silica caught her breath. "The front-liners are hoping to clear the floor by Christmas, so they're going to explore the **Boss Dungeon** tomorrow. I was hoping we'd join them. Everyone in?"

"You're the leader Percy," Pollux answered. "Besides, it's not like we had any other plans."

"That's true," Percy nodded. "The others will be setting out at ten, so we'll have to get up early if we want to stock up on supplies."

"We need to get more **Ambrosia and Nectar**," Annabeth interjected. "We've started running low. Katie, Nico, how are you two on throwing knives?"

"We could always use more," Katie responded, Nico quietly voicing his agreement. "You never know how many you'll need."

"All right," Percy said, clapping his hands as he did so. "Tomorrow morning we'll stock up on items, get some more throwing knives, and ask Lizbeth to repair our armor and weapons before we explore **The Dark Castle** with the others. Now that we've got a game plan, go get some sleep. I feel like we're going to need it."

* * *

"Thank you all for coming out here today," Asuna started as she stood before the castle gates with Heathcliff and Conor Akeas, sons of Ares, who, based on his new red-and-white armor, had been talked into joining the **Knights of the Blood Oath**. "As you all should know, the name of the Boss of this floor is **The Tyrant King**, but we do not know the whereabouts of his throne room. Luckily you do not have to enter the room if you find it. The Beta Testers have gra-"

"Beta Testers?!" a familiar voice sneered. A player with spiky, orange hair sauntered out of the crowd.

'Oh great,' everyone thought.

"Why should we trust the Beta Testers?" Kibaou continued. "The stupid Testers are still responsible for all of the deaths so far! Especially that no good asshole Beater!"

"Excuse you, but I'm only an asshole to the people who deserve it." Kibaou jumped away from the dark-clad player that had silently appeared from his shadow. The ginger drew his sword and swiped at the son of Hades, but Kirito barely reacted, only moving enough to activate his **Hades Skill: ****Shadow Travel** and vanish into his own dark silhouette as the warmonger stumbled and fell.

"You really shouldn't insult your betters," Kirito said emotionlessly from his new position beside Asuna. There were no cracks in his 'I'm better than all of you and I know it' mask. He glared down at the older male. "I can surpass, or at least rival, any party you could form in strength and I release more map data than any other group here. So tell me, what about that makes me a 'no good asshole'?

"You keep all the best information to yourself. And you keep all the best hunting spots and take all the good Quests!"

"But you see," Kirito said in a voice that made him sound both sagely and like he was talking to a child at the same time, if that's even possible. "It's all a game of survival, no pun intended, but if I were to reveal my hunting spots, there would not be enough **EXP** to help anyone. And the Quests? I only take the ones that give me what I had in the Beta, what I can use. I don't even take all of the high **EXP** Quests that I'd like to since I can always grind in said hunting spots. My friends can get far more out of those Quests than I can."

"What friends? You're a loaner. An outcast! A Beater! Who are these so-called friends?"

"Based on my knowledge of your bias attitudes towards me and anyone associated with me, I will withhold that information."

"See?" Kibaou called on an attempt to rally a group against the focus of his ire. "He's withholding information again! He won't even tell us the names of the people on his Friends List, so how can we trust him if he doesn't trust us?"

"That's enough Kibaou," Asuna scolded, leveling an **Athena Glare** at the bias player. "If Kirito-kun does not want us to know of his friends, he has the right not to tell us."

"I bet you're one of them, aren't you?!" The crowd, seeing where this was going, drew their weapons. Kibaou did not notice, his words poring out. "Maybe that's how you are such a high level. What did you have to do so he'd let you use his hunting grounds? Become his bitch?" He never got to continue. One moment the son of Ares was yelling at the sub-commander of the **KOB**, the next he's gone, his screams echoing from a path of a trench carved in the dirt several meters away. Both the Black Swordsman and the Flash lowered their arms from were they'd punched the yelling player in the face simultaneously.

"That felt good," Asuna commented as Kirito moved away and the group sheathed their arms. "Now where were we?"

"You said something about the Beta Testers, but were interrupted," Klein offered.

"That's right! Thank you Klein-san. Anyway, as I was saying, the Beta Testers have mentioned knowledge of the Boss's attacks and minions and are willing to share during the meeting once we've found the room. Are you all ready?" The question was rhetorical, but many in the crowd nodded anyway. Agil and another son of Hephestus each grabbed a handle on a gate and pulled, said gate grinding as it scraped the ground. Once the opening was wide enough to allow passage to more than one person at a time, Heathcliff led the large group inside.

* * *

Percy parried his foe's spear as the redirected thrust drilled into the wall behind him. His opponent, a **Crooked Guard** as they were called, paused for a moment as the system reset his patterns.

The **Crooked Guards** were of average height, about five foot four, and were clothed in dark armor. The armor itself was stereotypical full-body armor with a helmet with a white feather. While the mobs were actually quite pathetic, the most unnerving thing was that they could talk.

Well, talk using a very general and loose interpretation. The castle's protectors were able to use basic phrases that were not so much scary as unsettling. Of course their "Halt! Who goes there?" and "We must kill you for king and country!" were very irritating after hearing them multiple times.

The group was fighting a small number of these mobs and had found that the durability of their weapons was quite low compared to those of the players. Using this knowledge, Percy struck the spear that was still pinned into the rock behind him. The first strike was not enough, but Percy's second swing was all that the long weapon needed to give out. The armored mob grasped at the air as its weapon shattered, allowing the son of Poseidon to easily dispatch the unarmed mob. The armored guard let out a sad "I'm sorry my Lord" before bursting that made Percy really guilty prior to remembering they were not real people.

The guard's last phrase echoed around as the rest of the party finished of their own enemies. Several pieces of armor and a couple of spears clattered to the ground. 'Spoils of War' Percy had heard them called. Many players had decided that if they were going to be stuck here for a really long time, they might as well play along and get into it. This thought process had caused many to begin using less gaming jargon like the term 'drops', instead replacing the words with others. In this case, monster drops had been replaced with the term Spoils of War or just Spoils for short.

"How long have we been in here?" Connor questioned as he leaned against the dead end they had run into, sliding down to sit on the marble floor.

"I don't know," Percy answered. "Two hours maybe." He glanced at the clock in the corner of his vision, the thoughts of others wanting to see **DHO** as less of a game causing him to temporarily forget that it was. The clock read 11:30. "Correction, two and a half."

"Great," Nico muttered, sitting on the floor as well. The others soon followed suit. "At this rate, we're going to miss lunch."

"Don't get so down guys," Percy said with that grin of his spreading over his face. "It may be a big castle, but there are lots of groups looking so it shouldn't be too much longer. We all seem pretty tired, so let's rest here. Anyone want to place bets on which group finds the **Boss Room**?"

"I've got ten Drachma that says Asuna and the **KOB** find it first," Conner said, placing the coins in the center of their rough circle. His twin seconded, doubling the pot. The turns went around, the bets shaping up to be Percy and his cousins voting for Kirito. The Stolls, Katie, and Annabeth placed their money on the **KOB**. Silica placed her trust in the scruffy samurai known as Klein and Pollux, to be different if nothing else, bet his own sum on "that dick Kibaou" as he so nicely phrased it.

Luckily for the ADHD members of the group, the waiting time was far shorter than they expected. A mere 15 minutes had passed before the message came through to Percy. He did a double take before sending his own message for confirmation. When the response arrived, Percy sighed and faced his Guild.

"Pollux, I don't know how you knew, but you win the pot. Kibaou found the room. Everyone's exiting the Dungeon, so let's go get something to eat." The group filed out, running into another squad of mobs that were easily removed before fully leaving the cavernous building.

* * *

Sitting in the small restaurant where the Guild had met **Fuurinkazan**, Percy pondered on life inside the digital realm. Things seemed so much simpler here as opposed to the real world. Things were more interesting here as well. As he thought about it, the laughter of his friends floating into his ears, Percy wondered why he wanted to get out so badly. Then something struck him.

His mother. She was the main reason he wanted to leave. Her and the vow he'd made during Kiyaba's speech that first day when he saw his mother crying on the screen. As he thought about it, more problems showed themselves. This world wasn't real and it never would be. They were currently just a bunch of ones and zeros working through programs.

Watching and the Stoll brothers entertained the group with their terrible puns and a failed balancing act that required a chair, a bowl of ramen, and Annabeth's knife, Percy couldn't help but smile. He came to a decision.

They may be withering away on a hospital bed IRL, but that didn't mean he couldn't live every day right here with his friends by his side. They would get out, he swore that, but they would still live like they wanted to.

**End of Chapter 21**


	22. The Tyrant King (Part 1)

**I'm really sorry about the short chapter, but this thing called life called. I guess this chapter is more like a lead-up for the next, but I can say the next few are exciting! Thank you to to the Oracle of Akemi and Leftback02 for your reviews.**

**P. S. I can see my views again! Yay! **

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**Chapter 22:**

**The Tyrant King (part 1)**

The Guild of only nine players approached the meetinghouse. Well, meeting location would be a better description. In the ruined city of Boura, there were three temples. Two of the three had collapsed or been knocked over at some point, so the only shrine left was to be their congregating point. As they drew near to the area where everyone would come up with a battle plan, a voice sneered behind them.

"Oh not again," groaned Percy. The group turned to find one of the newest members of the Army. The son of Apollo stared at them through the visor on his helmet. The rest of his form was covered in the standard full-body armor of the **Holy Dragon Alliance**, but the unmistakable voice and the malice imbued into it made his identity obvious. "What do you want Octavian? Does **CARDINAL** have its eye on us again?"

"Unfortunately no," the Army member responded, "but it did give me a prophecy for that Beater character."

"Then why are you bothering us?" Annabeth questioned, her own feelings of dislike permeating her words.

"Because he attacked me the last time I tried to give him a prophecy."

"That was you?" Travis laughed. "Klein told us about a player that annoyed Kirito and was left with nothing but the Ethics Filter in the plaza. Now that we know who it was, the story is so much better!" If Octavian had not been wearing his helmet, his embarrassed blush would have been open to the entire virtual world. He silently cursed his luck, the hopes that they had not heard of that event vanishing like the polygons of a destroyed mob. As it was, the stutter in his next words revealed what his headgear covered.

"Sh-shut up you low-lifes! The prophecy I was given says that _'__**The Tyrant King**__ shall seek out a child of the underworld and two of the same will fight to the death_.'"

"That's pretty vague," Connor commented. "Do you have any more details?"

"Of course not! I may have missed a word in there, but the prophecies are meant to be vague!"

"Just like your masculinity," Percy snickered. Octavian once again turned scarlet under his helmet. He huffed, called them some names that probably should not be recorded, and stomped into the debilitated shrine. The Guild joked around for a few more minutes before entering the building as well.

They arrived with time to spare. Being easily able to pick out Klein and his Guild from the crowd, they approached **Fuurinkazan** and informed them of Octavian's most recent prediction. The scruffy samurai assured them that he would pass it Kirito the next chance he got and the two groups separated for the start of the meeting.

The meeting went started out smoothly and carried on at a decent pace. Unfortunately, nothing stays smooth after interference if Kibaou had anything to say about it. He interrupted all three of the **KOB**'s top members at one point of the meeting or another to accuse Kirito of something or another, but that was nothing new. While most clearers were used to Kibaou's shenanigans, they were not used to the combined shenanigans of Kibaou and Octavian.

The blond Oracle had met the ginger warmonger at a rally by the army in an attempt to gain more members. Despite the fact that the son of Apollo joined and the son of Ares didn't, they'd formed a fast friendship.

That friendship quickly turned against the Beater and, occasionally, those that associated with him. More than once, the **Heroes of Olympus** found themselves being called out for the lamest of reasons. The worst was probably when Kibaou claimed that they'd forced Pollux and Silica to join their Guild under threat of death. By that point, Percy had had enough and had 'politely' informed them that they were two 'loud-mouthed and ugly mutts from Tartarus who were worse than pelicans'.

As silence permeated the room, Percy was forced to conclude that the insult had made much more sense in his head. Even though Percy doubted the effect his insult would have, it was more than enough to annoy the two on the receiving end of the verbal jab. The meeting did not get back under way until their superiors reined Octavian and Kibaou in and separated.

"Anyway," Conor Akeas continued. "The sentinels are a step up from the mobs we fought earlier this morning. In the beta, their weapons were nearly unbreakable and they had almost 250 HP. Of course, this makes each one stronger than **Persephone's Pet** on the first floor. Luckily their armor makes them quite slow.

"What weapons do they have?" An overeager player asked loudly.

"I was getting to that. They carry a two-handed broadsword. It packs one Hades of a punch, but anyone with a half-decent speed stat and a little room can dodge. When fighting them as a group, try to spread out so you don't hinder movement for yourself or others, but are close enough to help."

"And the Boss?" Another player shouted.

"**The Tyrant King**," Heathcliff said, stepping ahead of his subordinates, "is unlike any other **Floor Boss**. He will not appear until all his minions are dead. Even then, we will not be able to attack him. King Nico will choose a champion from among us and they will do battle."

"Why would he do that?"

"How is that possible?"

"I hope it's not me!"

Heathcliff raised his hand for silence and got it a few second later.

"As you can probably tell, that's not enough to plan with, so I will give his attack patterns to everyone and hope he chooses one of our stronger players like Kirito-kun."

"What happens if the player chosen dies?"

"That is an excellent question, but I'm afraid that you will not like the answer. If the champion dies, the health of every player present will be reduced to zero instantly." A plethora of sounds rose as he finished his statement ranging from calls of unfairness to wails of despair. Percy glanced around, thoughts bouncing around his skull. A realization struck him, earlier words now making sense. He stood amidst the chaos, pulling his sword and Connor's from their sheaths in the process, and clanging the two weapons together. The action produced a loud ring that reverberated around the room, attracting the players' attentions.

"Before we entered," Percy began, "Octavian said he had a prophecy for the Beater. I don't remember the exact wording, but it was along the lines of 'The King will seek out the child of the Underworld'. I think that means that Kirito should be the one chosen as our champion." A cheer rose from most of the room, but some were still skeptical

"Heathcliff," Kirito asked, his low voice quieting the ruckus around him. "How do you know this? I don't remember everyone dying in the Beta." Heathcliff was silent for a moment before answering.

"I don't believe you were there when it happened. As you know, **Floor Boss**es respawn at half strength after being defeated the first time. A group of us older testers went after the initial fight to try to win some better Spoils, but the minions were more powerful than before and the man who was chosen as our champion had severely lowered health. In the end, he was defeated and we were all sent back to the last floor. Unfortunately, that man died the first day of **DHO**."

"I see," Kirito said. He had been hoping that there was a chance of the son of Ares being wrong, but no such luck. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you, but that was months ago. Nothing can be done about it now except to fight on for those who can't." Heathcliff turned back to the room at large and continued. "Anyway, the Boss's attack patterns are supposed to be more defense oriented. He hopes - or is programmed to - outlast whomever is selected since they've already been through one fight."

"How troublesome," Kirito mumbled. "I remember him using a sword of Stygian Iron. That would give him a Defense buff to his already high armor."

"Exactly," the leader of the **KOB** agreed. "Are there any more questions? We'll meet at the castle gates at 0900 hours. Dismissed!"

**End of Chapter 22**

* * *

**Leave a review!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	23. The Tyrant King (Part 2)

**Chapter 23:**

**The Tyrant King (part 2)**

0900 hours rolled around quickly for the Front-Liners of the VRMMORPG **Demigod Heroes Online**. The meeting they had held the previous day was still fresh in their minds as they congregated to the gates of the Dungeon, **The Dark Castle**. Both of the game's major powers, the **Knights of the Blood Oath** and the **Aincrad Liberation Force**, were present and well represented; the numbers for those two alone made up almost three fifths of the raid group. The rest of the combatants were from a plethora of smaller Guilds, like the **HOO** and **Fuurinkazan**. The remaining demigods were a handful of solo players, those of whom had survived so far.

As the last of the late arrivals scurried in, Heathcliff called for the players' attention. He reiterated the information they'd been given the evening before. After on final check to confirm that everyone who was going to fight was there, the leaders of the raid group opened the gate and motioned to Kibaou to lead them to the throne room.

The journey to the Boss Room was, in a word, underwelming. No above average mobs spawned into their path, no traps were sprung, and the walk itself was only about ten minutes long. The son of Ares had led the mass of players through a door hidden behind one of the massive stairwells that ascended into the floors of the castle-Dungeon. The door they entered opened to an extremely long corridor with ten average mobs and a fork at the end. After the **Crooked Guards** were dealt with, the Japanese ginger calmly took the right-hand path. That direction led them to another fork, which they responded to by turning right again. This cycle repeated a few more times, each time the short-tempered man taking the group through the right opening. Within minutes, their final destination of Floor 7 was visible.

The doors stood at the top of a steep staircase that was, by Percy's best estimate, in the middle of the castle. Upon seeing the stairs, a good number of the crowd groaned. The leaders began ascending without comment, forcing the others to follow lest they be scorned for being weak. Nevertheless, they were more vocal about their discomfort.

The doors looked like they would have been beautiful once, but the carvings had mostly faded away. What was left hinted that the full version was a depiction of the late Queen Tuela ruling over her prosperous city, but the visage of the queen had eroded to only an outline and the city below appeared cheerless and frail. The players decided not to dwell on it, choosing to push past the doors and into the throne room.

The Boss Room was the epitome of a stereotypical throne room. The floor was made of polished marble and was blanketed by a thin, red carpet from the edge of the opened doors to the throne itself. The walls, like the rest of the castle, looked to be made of rough granite. Purple banners hung from the rafters supporting the roof and were emblazoned with gold. The precious metal was woven into an intricate coat-of-arms, but the design was far too complex for Percy to bother trying to comprehend. At the far end of the room stood an ornate throne, plated in gold and with a plush, red cushion laying the seat. Percy reasoned that a king couldn't be expected to use a gold throne if it wasn't comfortable. Behind the throne was a large set of silver doors: the entrance to the next floor.

Spaced evenly around the back half of the room was the Boss's Sentinels. The **Malicious Warriors**, as their cursors read and coincided with the info the players had, were lined up in neat rows. There seemed to be about 150 of the room's guardians standing at attention. The players filled in, just over 125 demigods barely filling the room. The doors behind them slammed shut abruptly, trapping the raiders in the vicinity. The players tensed, ready for action, but a few words from Heathcliff stalled them.

"Never make the first move." The players waited for their adversaries to attack, utilizing the time to study the digital knights. The king's servants were dressed in heavy, black armor and wielded two-handed broadswords. Time seemed to slow for the Front-liners. It could have been seconds or hours, but the Sentinels finally moved. The warrior at the front of the mobs raised his sword in both hands. His position was his only defining feature, but his automated voice rung clearly through the room.

"For the good king, we will kill these intruders who dare to try to take his life! In the name of King Nico, we shall spill their blood!" The other mobs roared their approval, stomping their feet and yelling as the top of their virtual lungs. Without any more warning, they charged.

The players froze, surprised by the sudden attack. A horrid noise preceded the running Sentinels. The sound, like nails on a chalkboard, arose from half of the mobs that drug their swords behind them in a one-handed grip, the swords causing sparks to fly as the metal skidded across the floor. Despite the painful sound, the distance between the to factions was large enough for the demigods to regroup themselves and charge back. They fanned out, the **KOB** and the Army taking up the majority if the middle area. On the right of the Army was the **Fuurinkazan Guild**, their red armor greatly contrasting against the dull gray if the Army. The Beater's position was easily noted, his black clothes sticking out of the red-and-white of the **Knights of the Blood Oath** like a soar thumb. The **Heroes of Olympus** looked out of place with their lack of a particular color on the left of the strongest of the Guilds, a random observation that their leader's ADHD brain pointed out.

He filed that information away for later as the two armies drew closer. Picking out one individual in the approaching mass, Percy prepared a Sword Skill and struck. The mob flailed backwards, caught off guard by the sudden attack. The son of Poseidon was able to cut two more deep gashes into the Sentinel before it recovered. He rolled under the first of the mob's strikes and parried the second. The third, however, slashed across his chest. Percy fell backwards, but managed to catch himself on his hands and kick the incoming enemy in the gut. His armored foe stumbled back as he reestablished his footing.

A quick glance to the left told Percy that one of the Stolls was having trouble with their own adversary, but a battle cry alerted the Guild leader of the return of his target. The dark knight charged, but its clunky armor allowed Percy to dodge and trip the warrior. It fell face-first and lost its grip in its sword, but any chance of retrieving the weapon was dashed and Percy's own Riptide slid through the rear of the heavy armor and into its back. The digital person gurgled a farewell to king and country, but Percy paid no mind as he stepped through the pixels to the fight on his left.

* * *

Connor was not having a good day. Well, his whole year had really gone down the drain with the announcement on the first day of the death game, but this afternoon just about took the cake. First the walk to the **Boss Room** was boring as Hades before the long, steep stairwell up, then the Sentinels outnumbered them five to four, and to top it off: he tripped on the initial charge.

Talk about embarrassing; his bro was never going to let him forget _that_.

While he had been recovering, an enemy had stabbed him in the back and to say it hurt would be an understatement. Connor was glad that it was a videogame world because he would not have survived that attack IRL. He used his sword to cut the mob's exposed legs off, the crippled opponent not lasting long after that, but the initial strike had taken out a large portion of his health. It was with only 65% HP that he engaged the next **Malicious Warrior** to draw near.

This soldier, having witnessed the demise of its comrade, had a more cautious approach. The armored being waited for the twin to make the first move, blocking Connor's vertical slash a second after it was initiated. The Stoll brother had only a moment to wish he had a shield before the sword plunged into his shoulder. He grunted, not wanting to give his digital adversary the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. Of course, the being couldn't care less either way; it was not alive, but that was beside the point. One hand reached up, trapping the mob's weapon in its location buried in Connor's shoulder.

"Heh," Connor chuckled. "Take this, asshole." The son of Hermes plunged his weapon into the chest of his virtual foe, leaving the two at a standstill in the middle of the melee. A beep drew the demigod's attention to his **Health** **Bar**, the change in color from green to yellow warning him that his HP had just dropped below 55%. He cursed. Another curse erupted form his throat when he noted that his health would hit zero before that of his current adversary.

He pulled away, both blades leaving the their fleshy confines. Connor moved to attack, but stopped as the mob was blindsided from the twin's right. One well-placed **Sword Skill** later and the **Malicious Warrior**'s HP was sitting at 25% and frozen in shock.

"It looks like you could use a hand," Percy commented. The Sentinel lunged, but Percy easily caught the attack with his weapon. Thankful that he had leveled up his strength stat, Percy held the mob as Connor swiped at it. A few quick combos later and the mob was no more. Percy and Connor nodded to each other, stuffing some **Ambrosia** into their mouths as they moved on to help the others.

* * *

Sometimes Annabeth wished that she would fight with a sword rather than a knife. That being said, she was also acutely aware of the reasons she chose to use a knife rather than the longer bladed weapon. Her short blade rapidly pumped in and out of her opponent's guard, hitting every weakness in the armor that would cause the most damage. The armored foe would try to counter every few seconds, but the daughter of Athena would simply slide out of the sword's path before resuming her onslaught. After a particularly wide swing of the longer weapon, Annabeth forced her knife into the hand of her enemy, forcing them to drop the grip they had had on the broadsword. Unarmed, the **Sentinel** did not last to the end of the minute.

The blond let out a sigh as she surveyed the surrounding area. The players were doing well. Too well. She had a sneaking suspicion that this was just a warm-up for whoever was chosen and that thought scared here. The number of guards was normal for a Boss Fight, but they seemed weaker than they'd expected. She was snapped out of her thoughts by the battle cry of an approaching adversary. Why they yelled, she had no clue, but at least she was not blind-sided. The **Malicious Warrior** was about four feet away from her when a sparking arrow plowed into its chest plate.

Annabeth blinked as the warrior spasmed due to the electricity coursing through its body. Next to its cursor appeared a small lightning bolt indicating a paralysis effect. She quickly struck before the mob was able to move again and managed to deplete 55% of its health. Unfortunately, she had no more tine to attack unhindered. A surprisingly fast attack sliced her left leg before she noticed that the status effect had lifted. She limped back hoping that Thalia would notice her plight and cover her retreat from long range. The Girl's hopes were made true in the form of another sparking arrow. The mob was able to dodge this time, but the distraction was enough to allow Annabeth the chance to escape. She quickly stuffed some of the healing food of the gods into her mouth, the HP gained form the action moving her Health Bar away from the treat of falling into the yellow zone.

The **Sentinel** returned with another battle cry. There were very few of those battle cries anymore, she idly noticed. The warrior went for a horizontal slash, but Annabeth rolled under the swing. Jumping up, she severed the mob's left hand, the aforementioned appendage's right counterpart soon following suit. The digital foe's wailing was silenced as the daughter of Athena's dagger lodged into the crack between helmet and breastplate.

* * *

Travis was having fun. A jolly laugh sprouted from his throat has his opponent recoiled. Next to the exuberant twin, Katie was wondering if the game had driven her boyfriend mad of if she was the crazy one for accepting his date request. His laugh cut off suddenly as he was forced to block the next attack of his enemy. He pushed the sword over his head and rapidly followed with a kick to the guard's gut. The mob collapsed backwards, its balance compromised by the fast-moving foot.

"Katie, **Plant Skills**, now!" Travis called before pausing to remember where they were. "Oh. Oops."

"Yeah, oops," Katie shot back, her dagger halting the mob's attempt to stand. The male of the pair hopped into the female's blind spot, the clang of metal indicating that he'd just saved her neck. She sent him a quick thanks, her weapon continuing its up-and-down motion as it stabbed the downed warrior repeatedly.

To her back, two swords clashed. Travis growled, pushing just a little bit harder against the attacker. The mob's blank, emotionless eyes stared back. Travis broke the connection, dropping low to swipe at the knight's midsection, but the target was able to parry and retaliate. The demigod grunted, ignoring the cut on his side as it dispensed red code into the surrounding air. He glanced as his health, not wanting to remove his eyes from the enemy, but knowing his needed to stay alive. The cut in his side had reduced his health from full to 84% with the addition of a bleeding effect. He and the **Sentinel** charged one another, Travis rolling away at the last moment and causing the mob to overextend its swing. The son of Hermes rose behind the off-balance knight and slammed the pommel of his sword into the nape of its neck. The guard crumpled, paralyzed, and lost half of its health before it regained motor functions. The mob rose, but fell again when Travis slashed at the back of its calves. He was about to deal the finishing blow when a throwing knife whizzed by his head. Behind him, an approaching mob grunted. He killed his opponent as his girlfriend stepped up beside him.

"Isn't this fun?" he asked. Katie gave a small smile as the two charged the wounded guard.

* * *

Nico was awfully glad for his **Shadow Skills**; the Hades powers had gotten him out of many tight spots, both in the literal and figurative sense. Another perk of said powers was that they were available wherever there was darkness, that is to say, everywhere. He backed away from his current opponent, the mob moving to follow. Nico manipulated the shadow of his armored foe, covering the evil knight's visor and, therefore, blinding it. The **Sentinel** moved to remove the wrap from its eyes, but found nothing physical there. It proceeded to flail blindly, hoping to hit something. Unfortunately for the son of Hades, the mob's gamble paid off.

Nico cried out in pain, the warrior's broadsword cutting into his left arm. The pain broke his concentration, relieving the coded knight of his blindfold of darkness. Nico grasped at his wound in a futile attempt to staunch the flow of red pixels as the mob regained its bearings. The shorter of the two combatants rushed in, ducked under the more armored fighter's swing, and delivered his own slash. He was caught off guard, however, when his opponent pulled its sword in faster than he had thought possible. The demigod's sword was now stuck between a broadsword and a chest plate. His shocked expression twisted into a smirk as he faded into darkness.

The **Sentinel** stumbled, the supposedly trapped sword vanishing with its wielder. Before the mob could react, the weapon's blade sprouted from its neck. The knight was immobilized and rapidly losing health, but Nico was still facing away from the other mobs. He jerked himself and his prisoner 180 degrees, swapping places with the dying warrior. Another **Sentine**l's sword cut into the helmet of its captured brethren where the demigod's head had been only half a second ago.

"Good move," Kirito complemented. Nico jumped, the swift motion yanking his sword out of the **Malicious Warrior** and dropping its health to zero. The Beater calmly knocked away the next attack of the angered mob that approached.

"Dammit Kirito! Don't do that!" The younger son of Hades tried to control his heartbeat. He was used to doing the sneaking, not being the one snuck up on.

"I was just giving you a complement. Geez." Kirito twisted his weapon in what looked like a simple but difficult maneuver, the swordplay forcing the virtual knight to drop its weapon. Nico watched in awe as his pseudo-big-brother attacked the unarmed mob ruthlessly, slashing through its head (which dealt double damage) before swiftly spinning and slashing through its body. As the Japanese player completed the **Sword Skill: Double Circular**, Kirito re-sheathed his **Blade of Nyx** into its holster hanging on his back. The mob fell onto its knees and exploded into blue polygons without even a glance from the black-clothed swordsman who had slain it. He reached down and took the knight's weapon as a spoil, knowing he could fetch a pretty penny, or in this world, a pretty **Drachma**, for it.

"That was too easy," Kirito muttered to himself as the **Heroes of Olympus** walked up to the two sons of Hades. Percy, remembering the random observation he had noticed at the beginning of the fight now that the immediate danger was gone, decided to voice his thoughts on the matter.

"So… We need a Guild color," the son of Poseidon stated bluntly.

"What?" asked Nico, not sure if he had heard his cousin properly. Percy repeated himself. "That's what I thought you said. Here's my response: what the Hades!?"

"Well," he started, "I noticed at the start of the fight that everyone else has, like, their own thing. I mean, Kirito's got his whole dark, emo-villian persona…"

"I am not an emo-villian!"

"The **Knights of the Blood Oath** have their red-on-white pattern," Percy continued, ignoring the Beater's outburst. "The Army had that uniform armor and even **Fuurinkazan** has their own color scheme that makes them look badass. Why can't we have on of our own?"

"Let me get this straight," said Katie, stopping to thank Silica for the **Nectar** she was passing around, "we're in the middle of a Boss Fight, and you want to debate about a color for the Guild?"

"Yeah. I was thinking neon orange."

"Like hell!" shouted Nico and Thalia in unison. They would sooner fight Kiyaba Akihiko in a dual to the death than be caught dead in a bright color like orange.

"Well fine," the oldest of the group pouted. "Do you have a better color Mr. Wise-Guy?"

"Could you all do this later?" Kirito asked. "The Boss is going to show up in a second since Klein is over there killing the last **Sentinel**." Right on queue, the scruffy samurai drove his weapon into the eye of the final opponent of the fight. The players were silent for a minute, waiting for something to happen. The doors on the other side of the room began grinding open. A member of the **KOB** ran towards the widening gap between the shining doors.

The cries for him to return were too little too late. The trampling of hooves was the last sound the fool ever heard. The player's avatar shattered under an embellished chariot pulled by a pair of oversized oxen. Inside the chariot stood King Nico, the **Floor Boss**, **The Tyrant King**.

"So this is the pathetic rabble that infiltrated my castle?" the Boss asked to no one in particular since all his minions were dead. Kirito mumbled that, since the gate was unlocked, it was not really infiltration. The king continued. "Because I am a just king, I will offer you a deal. I will select one of you whom I deem to be a worthy adversary to be your champion and we will fight to the death. If I win, you will all die." The eyes of the king roamed the crown, scanning their faces, considering each and every player. Finally, after an agonizingly slow minute, his gaze came to rest on the small group containing the Beater.

"You," he said, pointing at a son of Hades dressed in black clothes. But the demigod King Nico was pointing to did not hail from Japan. He was American.

**The Tyrant King** was pointing at Nico Di'Angelo.

**End of Chapter 23**


	24. The Tyrant King (part 3)

**Whelp, I'm typing and editing this in English class when I'm supposed to be doing an obituary of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Meh, whatever. Anyway, here is the next edition of Demigod Heroes Online! **

* * *

**Chapter 24:**

**The Tyrant King (part 3)**

"You," said** The Tyrant King**, his finger pointing at Nico.

"Me?" the American son of Hades asked. "No, no, no. There must be some mistake, a glitch or something."

"I don't think there was a glitch, Nico," interjected Annabeth, her facial expression showing the connections her brain was making. "There is no mistake. Octavian told us that _'__**The Tyrant King**__ would seek out the child of the Underworld and two of the same would fight to the death._'"

"But he said the prophecy was for the Beater!" Nico responded, the Boss watching the exchange in what could only be called amusement.

"Kirito was the only player he knew to be a son of Hades on the front lines. He never bothered to learn our godly parents or check our cursors."

"But why me?"

"That Oracle also said that he might have missed a word. I think the last part is supposed to be '_and two of the same __name__ fight to the death_'. Think about it, Kirito and the king here have nothing in common, but you and he share the same name."

"But . . . I . . . Aww dammit."

"No pressure," whispered Connor, "but all of our lives depend on you winning."

"Yeah, no pressure. Thanks."

"If you are quite done, can we get this over with? I have dinner scheduled in half an hour." The king looked impatient, the attitude conflicting with the information the players had been given. Nevertheless, Nico stepped away from the group. "Good. You're brave; I like that. Give me your name, champion, so that we may fight as equals."

"Nico."

"Yes?" The teen stood confused by the response for a second before realizing the reasons for the king's strange answer.

"No," he corrected. "My name is Nico as well."

"Oh ho!" the king laughed. "To think we would share a name. Tis as if the Fates have written this battle just for that purpose!"

"Yeah, Fates." As the **Floor Boss** laughed, Nico sized up his opponent; the chance to do so earlier had been passed due to his argument with Annabeth over why he was chosen. King Nico made for a rather impressive sight. He towered over Nico's 5'10" height and had way more meat on his bones than Percy's cousin. The king wore polished silver armor from shoulder to foot, but had no helmet on his person. Behind him flowed a red cape, the cloth trying (and succeeding in) making his appearance that much more menacing. His face was handsome. High cheekbones, slightly messy yet attractive brown hair, and piercing blue eyes made up his facial structure. Completing his ensemble was a sword of the blackest metal Nico had ever seen hung from his belt. Stygian Iron, he recalled.

"I see that you are admiring my weapon," the king stated, breaking the teen out of his thoughts. "How about this? If, by some miracle, you do kill me, my weapon is yours. Now, defend yourself, other Nico!"

The king swung at the trapped human's videogame avatar. Nico scampered out of the way, the sword clanking on the marble floor. The son of Hades countered, but the king proved to have impressive reflexes. Their weapons locked together, bringing the two combatants eye-to-eye. The visual contact lasted for half a second before they separated. Lunging forward one more, Nico attacked relentlessly, but the Boss was able the dodge his swipes.

"You skills are quite impressive for a child such as yourself," the **Floor Boss** complemented. "Tell me, what did your training routine consist of?"

"Fighting monsters everyday. Maybe a Quest every now and then. Why? Did you expect me to lose easily and die quietly?" The last question was accented with a fresh attack, the strike easily parried by the larger of the two Nicos. The son of Hades moved out of the king's sword range before he had the chance to counter attack.

"Curiosity I suppose," the digital ruler commented idly, blocking another of the demigod's strikes. "As you are probably aware, a king has no business trifling against lowly creatures. It's hard to believe you've become so strong from fighting mindless beasts." The king slashed horizontally, causing the smaller of the two to quickly roll out of the way.

"Are you a demigod?" King Nico asked as a way to continue the conversation. Whether it was meant as a distraction or idle chit-chat was unknown.

"I might be," demigod Nico answered, hoping that Kiyaba Akihiko had, for the sake of realism, not given every enemy intelligence on them. Luckily for him, the Boss's next statement confirmed the man's dedication to the death trap called a game.

"I'll take that as a yes." Nico tried to catch the digital for off guard by attacking without using a **Sword Skill**, but the ruler of the area only blinked before parrying. "Who is your sire? Why don't you reveal your powers?"

"It's best to always have an ace up your sleeve." Nico dodged the Boss's next stab, barely diverting the strike from impaling his avatar. Using his smaller frame to his advantage, the son of Hades slipped into the guard of his opponent and cut an X into his armored chest. The strike was not very powerful, only removing about 5% of the king's health, but it was the first decisive hit of the fight.

"Oh ho!" **The Tyrant King** laughed, red pixels flowing slowly from his wound. "The first strike goes to you, other Nico." The **Floor Boss** struck quickly, catching the younger of the two off guard and slicing into his right forearm. "But that won't be enough to kill me."

Nico bit back a curse as his health dropped by 8%. The king's Attack Stat was higher than his and first blood success had left a hole in his defenses. The town's ruler lunged, but the teen rolled away, the weapon missing him by inches. He dodged the next few attacks, buying time to form a plan. The Boss pressed harder as Nico blocked an overhead swing.

'What do I know about this king?' Nico asked himself, dancing away from another flurry of attacks. He started to mentally tally what he knew:

The king was stronger than him, but slower

His personality was different than the information they were given

He fights with a two-handed, Stygian Iron great sword with some kind of boost

He wore no helmet, but his height makes it impossible to attack that area without using God-Power Skills

His armor was easy to cut, but had a defense buff.

As Nico avoided the tenth consecutive attack, the outline of a plan started to take shape. The king was visually annoyed at his opponent's lack of offence. Sacrificing technique for speed, the Boss's strike became sloppy. Nico added the degenerating technique to his list of observations.

"Why do you not fight back?" **The Tyrant King** roared, his sword cleaving into the ground where the demigod had been standing a second before. "Have you no courage?"

"I have plenty of courage," Nico shot back in an even tone. He ducked under the next poor swing and slashed at the king's exposed legs. "I was simply buying time to form a plan.

The **Floor Boss** yelled, more angry than hurt. He thrust his sword forward in an attempt to skewer the player before him. As the weapon approached, Nico flashed the king with a grin. The blade drew closer, but before the metal could touch him, the son of Hades fell backward, letting his own shadow consume his mass. The guardian of the next floor searched for his vanished enemy, but to only alert he received was the sword that plunged through his gut.

**The Tyrant King** fell forward in surprise as the blade was removed and his health dropped by 20%. He took a deep breath and spun, hoping to hit the elusive boy, but he cut nothing but air. Turning again, the taller of the two managed to just barely block the next attack as Nico rose from a shadow on the floor.

"So your sire is Hades, god of the Underworld," the king stated rather than asked. "That is quite a powerful father you have there."

"It has its perks," the Krito-ish American responded nonchalantly. "It lets me do things like this." The teen jumped back and stabbed his sword into the floor. The Boss's look of confusion changed into a look of suppressed fear as ten **Skeletal Warriors** crawled out of the created pit.

These summons were a stronger version of those that had need used in the previous Boss Fights, a testament to the amount of training Nico had put into the skill so far. Every **Skeletal Warrior** was the same in all ways, the only exception being the weapon wielded. Each bone looked to have been bleached, so they shone even in the dim lighting. The warriors was each six feet tall and dressed in a dented bronze breastplate. The armor would provide little protection, but it was better than nothing. Seven of the ten carried one-handed bronze swords, the other three readying their basic bow-and-arrows. The king blinked owlishly, but responded quickly when the close-range skeletons charged.

Nico stood back and watched as the digital tyrant parried strikes of the first three summons. Now that Nico had tipped his hand, the king had calmed considerably, and with that can came his technique. Despite his improved skill, the king was still at 11-1 odds.

Even though he was at such a disadvantage, the king was surprisingly strong. Unfortunately for the Boss, there was only so much he could do without losing a good portion, if not all, of his health. He and the seven swordsmen of the pits (anyone see what I did there? Bonus points if you get the edited reverence) wove an intricate dance of blades. Sparks flew as the weaker swords of the undead bounced off the weapon and armor of the greedy king. Every now and then, the older-looking Nico would lunge for one of his opponents, only to be driven back by and arrow from a strong summon. Meanwhile, player Nico was restoring his health and watching the show.

Eventually the king pulled off a lucky shot, decapitating one of the skeleton swordsmen. The skull rattled across the floor, eerily starting with its empty sockets and chattering incomprehensively. The rest of the boney body moved through half of a swing before collapsing in a heap of disjointed calcium constructs. The parts stayed like that, breaking down into pixels after for a few seconds.

The** Floor Boss** had found his stride. The next undead charged, but the king ducked under the swing and sliced through the exposed spine. He kicked away the still moving upper body as the next opponent approached. It attacked with an overhead swing, the blade arcing over the grinning skull only to be stopped be the king's iron blade. The skeleton chattered in irritation until the Boss Sparta kicked the fleshless mob into pixelating bones.

The next two summons were bisected with a single swing, but the attack left the king open to counter attacks from Nico and his undead allies. One throwing knife, three arrows, and three swords reduced the **Floor Boss**'s health to 45%, but the attacks did not faze the greedy program. Reaching back, he grabbed the spine of one of the **Skeletal Warriors** and wrenched it in such a way that the arms holding the sword in the king's back were ripped from their sockets. The scene would be comical if those mobs were not all that was standing in the way of every clearer in the room and certain death.

Leaving the weapon locked in his torso, the Boss launched his skeletal captive at the long-range mobs. The airborne mob flailed as it arched through the air. It slammed into two of the three archers, reducing them to a large pile of bones.

"Damn," cursed Nico. He glanced at King Nico's **Health Bar** which was falling past 37% from the still-impaled weapons. Unfortunately, the king's falling health did nothing to prevent his remaining skeletons from dropping like flies. The king moved to remove the swords, but the blades' handles were out of his reach.

"Ahhh!" yelled the **Floor Boss**, a red haze coloring the air around his form a faded crimson. His attack patterns switched, a sudden backfist knocking the skull off of one of one opponent. He lunged for the remaining close-range warrior, but the summon leapt back.

"Oh shit," Clarisse La'Rue breathed. "That looks like **Ares Blessing**." The demigoddess elaborated when a call from Nico questioned what she was talking about. "It's like a status buff, but it's only available to Ares players when their health is lower that 25%."

"Then what does he have it?"

"I don't know," she replied. "It's possible one of his ancestors was a child of Ares to heighten the Boss's difficulty."

"Higher difficulty would be right," Kirito commented. "That buff was not there in the Beta."

The Boss spun around to decapitate the final two Sword-wielding undead, but a mental order from Nico saved their heads (or skulls). They abandoned their weapons, the sharp bronze continuing to provide the red pixels of the king's insides an easy way out. He continued to slash at his two lifeless foes, all the way being pelted with arrows and throwing weapons. Still, the king was able to finish off one of the skeletons.

"Well isn't that just perfect," Nico sassed as he dove out of the way; the Boss, having chosen to forget his last unarmed enemy in favor of attacking its summer, lunged for the son of Hades. Nico hastily parried a flurry of strikes, the few that got through dropping his health to 90%.

As the Boss's health fell to 15%, the greedy king overextended his next swing, or, at least, that's what it looked like. Nico ducked low, jabbing his average sword into the gut of the king. The digital dictator continued to turn from the kinetic energy of his attack, wrenching Nico's weapon from the demigod's grasp and slicing the last archer in half.

Nico and his final skeleton ally both stood unarmed. On the other side stood the **Floor Boss**, eyes shadowed, four swords and one arrow protruding from his body and his falling health crossing into the red zone. Both Nicos were breathing heavily and, one again, everyone was forced to comment the creator for his attention to detail. The mob was not breathing at all.

The Boss's health fell below 5% and he released a long breath, the muscles in the legs of Nico's avatar tensing in response. The king fell to his knees, but Nico did not approach. A cold, humorless laugh rose from the fallen ruler. His words chilled every clearer to the bone.

"Congratulations, other Nico. You've killed me and stripped my kingdom of its king. I do hope to meet you again in your father's realm." He smiled grotesquely. "Your journey will be long and hard, but my sword is yours now. Goodbye son of Hades, and may the Fates do with you what they will." With that, the **Floor Boss** lost what was left of his strength and fell to the floor. The motion shoved Nico's weapon further into his pixilated abdomen, reducing both his HP and the sword's durability to zero. He shattered as the victory SFX played and his pitch-black sword of underworld iron clattered to the marble floor and the players cheered for their champion.

**End of Chapter 24**

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**Read and Review!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	25. The Pillaged Village

**Another chapter delayed due to a pileup of school work. I should probably get onto that, shouldn't I? Hard choice: school or fanfiction. Oh well. Thank you to those who reviewed, followed, and/or favorated.**

**Anon: glad you liked the pun. And no, I'm not even mad.**

**Oracle: I hope the almost two week wait didn't kill you.**

**Leftback02: I sure gave him what for, didn't I?**

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**Chapter 25:**

**A Pillaged Village**

Everyone's first thought of the ninth floor of **Demigod Heroes Online** was along the lines of 'this floor is small'. They would by correct, in a sense. The doors from the previous **Boss Room** opened out from a large rock formation on a beautiful, white beach. The sum was setting in the west, its rays turning the surrounding sky into a mixture of vivid reds, bright yellows, and what seemed like every shade of orange in between. The players took a few minutes to admire the virtual sunset, having a moment of peace after the fight. Tearing their eyes away from the colorful view, they analyzed the other areas in their range of vision. The sun fading in the distance cast a soft red glow across the loamy sand and the ocean waves simmered in the dying daylight as they crashed against the pristine powder of the island's edge.

To the east, a group of ships could be seen bobbing on the rolling water. If one were to listen carefully (or have a high enough listening skill), they would be able to make out the distant booming of canons as the novel crafts battled for supremacy. To the west sat the outline of the floor's city. The demigods quickly began their trek toward the new settlement.

The raid group was halfway to the city when they realized something was amiss. The sun had gone over the horizon a few minutes ago and, while the cities had been lit by candlelight after dark on the lower floors, this one was much too bright. The overabundance of light spilling from the confines of the city illuminated the adjacent hills and the large ship sitting proudly in the dock. Upon closer inspection, the flag flying from the ship's mast bore a golden sword and trident crossed over a black background.

"Well that doesn't look ominous at all," Percy huffed. "I didn't think ancient Greece even had pirates."

"There is one myth about a pirate," Annabeth informed him. "He was the first pirate if memory serves, but I don't remember his name."

"Great," Nico drawled, his health full one more from a combination of items and Pina's Healing Breath. "You guys should let Kirito and I scout the area."

"I agree with Nico," said the aforementioned Beater, popping out of Travis' shadow. The son of Hermes jumped into his identical twin's arms with a girly scream. Connor looked at his brother for a second before dumping him on the ground unceremoniously. The two children of Hades rolled their eyes at the soft 'oof' that came from the ground and fell into their shadows together, some of the other solo players with the same skull cursor joining them in their quest via the dark silhouettes made by the flickering light. Half a minute passed before Nico returned.

"You guys are going to want to see this." The full group followed the youngest of Percy's cousins into the burning city, being cautious of the flames licking at the buildings on either side of the street. They filed into the central plaza to a sight the group at large had never thought they would see.

Standing on the Teleport Platform was a person wearing golden armor. The person seemed to be about 6'4" and a shiny golden helmet covered their facial features. They wore a golden chest plate as well and their chlothes appeared to be made for long ocean travels, if a lot nicer than the average for a sailor. A one-handed sword of the same precious metal was held at the throat of a beautiful woman on her knees beside him.

The woman had long blond hair that cascaded down to the ground from her position, a few locks of said hair littering the platform around her, singed, cut, and forgotten. Her pretty face was streaked with fresh tear tracks due to the salty liquid cutting through the ash that had covered her cheeks from the burning houses. The woman's dress would have been a higher quality, - maybe the leader's daughter? - but burn holes and rips had ruined the woman's clothes and the ash from the air had given the cloth a dull gray tone. She looked to be a little shorter than the armed man, but it was hard to tell from her position on the ground.

"Help me," the woman choked, the sword at her jugular pressing a little harder. Her blue eyes glistened with unshed tears as she tried to stifle her sobs.

"What is the meaning of this?" Asuna demanded, drawing her rapier. The masked person slowly turned in her direction as the girl's sword was drawn from its resting place by her hip. The metal cover hid any emotion the person's face may have showed.

Meddling demigods," said a distinctly masculine voice. "How troublesome. Men, we're leaving." As the masked man began dragging his hostage away, ruffians flooded from the alleyways, following their leader. The captive struggled, screaming for help, until the man knocked her unconscious with a swift hit to the head. Asuna and Kirito sprung into action, the former flashing forward in an impressive display of speed and the latter jumping through the shadows to attack.

Two different obstacles stopped them. A wall of pirates halted Asuna's forward progress; forcing her to defend herself lest a dozen cutlasses impale her moving form. The son of Hades popped out of the man's dark silhouette, but the kidnapper both blocked Kirito's downward slash and draped the girl's limp form over one shoulder quickly.

The mysterious pirate held the Beater back until some of his lackies intervened, cutting the teen's back, dropping his health by a small amount, and stealing his attention while the captor and his captive vanished toward the docks. The pirates trickled away in the same direction. The players quickly followed, every now and then felling a sea dog with an arrow to the back. The chase wound through the ransacked city, coming to a stop at the edge of the docks. All of the remaining pirates were on- or nearly on- the ship docked there. Upon closer inspection, the ship was revealed to be a large trireme.

Some players pulled ahead, trailing behind the pirates on the planks connecting the ship to the dock, but the last of the sea thieves off each board picked up their end and threw it over the side. With no support on one edge, the wooden beams tumbled into the bay below, taking the demigods above into the water as well.

The children of Poseidon moved to capsize the ship, each one being strengthened by the close proximity to the salty ocean water, but an overwhelming force pushed against their control of the liquid. Percy and the others fell away, some clutching their heads and others dazed. Up on the deck of the trireme, the man with the golden mask walked to the railing with his unconscious prisoner in a bridal carry.

"Little demigods," sneered the man. "Remember the name you are about to hear, for I am the ruler of the high seas. I am the **Golden Sword, Chrysaor**, the son of Poseidon the god of the ocean."

* * *

Having suffered no casualties from the retreating buccaneers, the players reconvened in the in the central plaza and assisted in the dousing of the blazing structures. One would think that, with the cities being safe zones, the internal fires would cause no damage to them or the buildings and only be an inconvenience until dealt with. This thinking was dashed when a building gave out with a player and several **NPC**s inside, killing the non-playable characters and nearly taking the demigod's life. As it was, the most valuable players were the children of the sea god and the sons and daughters of Hephestus- especially those who had full fire immunity like Lisbeth.

It took a full hour and a half for the fires to be dealt with. Even then, just under half of the buildings had fallen by the end of the 90-minute period. Once all of the blazes were extinguished, the town's **Safe Zone** status was resorted, much to the relief of the city's new, living occupants. The players gathered back to the plaza where the village elder was waiting for them.

"Welcome travelers," began the old **NPC**. He was around five and a half feet, with thinning white hair and wrinkled skin. His blue eyes were squinting to see the players and his hands, gnarled from a lifetime of work, shook from either suppressed rage or extreme despair. "I apologize for our poor greeting, but, as you can see, we have a pirate problem of sorts. But where are my manners? I am Tacitus, the elder of this humble town. I wish to ask for your help. You see, our town is small and located on the sea, and the Ionian Islands are small. After all, most of us are fishermen. Recently, our town of Galos on the Island of Pax has become a target for the man who calls himself Chrysaor. This Chrysaor is a demigod, a son of Poseidon. His lineage protects him and his crew from the storms that frequently blow in from the south. I must ask you to defeat Chrysaor and save our town."

Percy frowned. That guy was a son of Poseidon like he was. That would explain the overwhelming power surge that pushed him and the others away. He had heard of evil demigods in the myths before, was Chrysaor one of them? Next to the demigod lost in thought, Annabeth voiced a question many minds in the crowd.

"Who was the woman Chrysaor took and why now?"

"That would be my granddaughter," the elder man replied sadly. "Her name is Calista, my son's only child. Her father died in a shipwreck shortly after she was born and I never knew her mother. As to why now, now was the only time she was out when the pirates attacked. I'd kept her hidden away every other time, but this one I was too late. That leads be to my other request: please save my granddaughter. She is the only family I have left."

"Don't worry old man," announced Kirito. "We'll get your granddaughter back and defeat Chrysaor. Just you wait."

* * *

"We're lucky this restaurant didn't burn down," said Connor through a mouthful of some seafood dish he had ordered. "I was starting to get hungry."

"You don't say," muttered Pollux, his own dish barely touched. Next to the Kansas-raised boy, his girlfriend quietly giggled at his sarcastic remark.

"At least I'm taking my time," the Stoll twin shot back. All eyes turned to their leader who was inhaling his food at an ungodly pace. After a few seconds, the dark-haired teen seemed to sense the stares directed his way and glanced up.

"What?"

"Nothing Seaweed Brain," Annabeth waved off. "Anyway, we need a plan for this Chrysaor."

"But we just got to this floor and Christmas is only a couple days away," Travis argued.

"And it's only the 20th," the daughter of Athena argued back. "We still have four days before Christmas. Most players will take the time off, giving us valuable training time to get ahead of the curve."

"And who will not be taking the time off?" Percy asked. "Other than us?"

"Kirito for one."

"But Kirito never stops training," Katie pointed out.

"What's your point?"

"Your a sadist," Nico grumbled under his breath.

"And you're an emo," Thalia quipped.

"And you're a punk/goth girl with anger management issues."

"Careful with the name-calling Conor," the twin's twin warned, "We just might start calling you an otaku."

"Hey!" Connor sputtered. "Just because I watch anime and read manga does not make me an otaku."

"Can we please get back on track and think about what we know about this enemy?" Pollux asked, trying to spare Connor the loss of this meaningless argument.

"Yeah," mumbled Katie. "What do we know about this guy who claims to be the King of the High Seas?"

"If he's the first pirate," Percy began, his ADHD taking over, "does that also make him King of the Pirates?"

"Straw-hat Luffy is not going to like that," Silica giggled with Pina resting on top of her head.

"What?" Percy asked for the second time that meal as Connor fell out of his chair laughing. "Who is this Luffy guy?"

"Never mind Percy-kun," Silica laughed. The others joined in. Whether they understood the joke or not, Percy's face whenever he was confused was always a laughing matter.

"I hate you all," Percy pouted, going back to his food as his Guild laughed harder before returning to their planning.

**End of Chapter 25**

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**Sad to say, but I'm out of prewritten chapters and, with school getting onto the main swing of things, homework is piling up. I'll update when I can (usually on Fridays), but you guys know how it goes. Wish me luck... I'll need it to survive Physics. Review! **

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	26. Almost Fish-Men (part 1)

**So here we go with the next chapterof Demigod Heroes Online! I've had a stressful week, but I'm still uodating 'cause I promised I would. Thank You to everyone who Faved, Followed, Reviewed, or wished me luck. I'll have to ask you to wish me luck again; I take the ACT tomarrow morning :'( and I'll need all the good wishes I can get. And now, Reviews that need responses:**

**the Oracle of Akemi, Leftback02, Omega Alpha Hydra, People Are Zebras: Thank you all for the good luck and the uplifting reviews!**

**Parks98: Maybe I will, maybe I won't. You'll have to wait and see.**

**Anon-Korakas: Maybe I'll make an omake for that. The idea is pretty funny and Kiyaba doesn't care about legal issues . . .**

* * *

**Chapter 26:**

**Almost Fish-Men (part 1)**

December 21st dawned warmer than the Guild members would have usually been used to if their prison did not have a temperate climate. Many of the members, nearly all of the males included, groaned as they wished the game system would let them return to the realm of Morpheus. Knowing, and coming to terms with, the fact that their hopes were in vain they began to sit. Rising from the plush beds they had rented on Floor 7, a loud banging on the door roused them further.

"Wake up!" Annabeth's voice drifted through the door, the only reason they could hear her through the game's muffling of sound through closed doors being her shouting, something that Percy idly noted would get them yelled at by some of the other players who would not like being woken up this early. "We've got to train if we want to stay ahead of the other players! I bet you Kirito is already out there grinding!"

"Yeah, well," Percy responded in his groggy morning voice. "We're not a bunch of crazy, training-nut loners who have almost every player wishing they'd disappear, are we?" Annabeth was silent for a moment.

"What?" She called through the polished wood. "I didn't hear what you said."

"I said . . . Oh, never mind. We're getting up!"

"That's what I like to hear."

"Yeah, yeah." Percy stood and stretched, the others in the room following. They swapped their sleeping clothes for their chosen battle gear before leaving the room to start their day.

* * *

Mykonos was bustling. Almost 7,750 players were left alive and spread out over the nine accessible floors, so almost every city was packed. Rumor had it that it was snowing in the Camp Half-Blood servers, but the **Heroes of Olympus** Guild did not have time to check.

The group pushed their way through the crowded city, forging their path to the central plaza and, after arriving there, to the Teleport Platform. One flash of blue light later and the Guild was gazing on the recovering town of Galos.

They quickly filed out of the town to avoid being roped into the reconstruction of the burned buildings. They wandered around the small island, but the floor's sparse foliage caused their search for enemies to come up fruitless for the greater part of two hours. However, no floor was without Quests if one looked hard enough.

"Guys, look," Silica whispered. The others directed their vision to where her finger was pointed to find a young man standing on the beach alone. A yellow question mark floating over his head indicated that he was a Quest-giving NPC. They approached cautiously, the memories of Thalia's Claiming after the fight they had had with a sea monster the last time they had been on a beach alone playing in their minds. Up close, the man was younger than they had thought. He looked to be about 18 with shaggy brown hair and warn yet sad green eyes. He was around a half a head taller than Annabeth and he wore the ragged clothes of a poor fisherman. He did not acknowledge their presence until Percy asked if they could help with anything.

"Oh!" the NPC exclaimed as if he was startled from his thoughts. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there, but I could use some help. I am a fisherman you see and while out today I found this small golden statue washed up on the beach. Well it's not every day you find gold just lying around, so I took it. I was returning home with my catch when pirates attacked me! These were no ordinary pirates either! No! I swear, each and every one of them was half dolphin! I'd say maybe a third of them couldn't even talk, but those that could ordered me to hand over all the fish I had and all of my fishing gear so I couldn't catch any more of 'their food'. They also forced me to give them my little statue when they caught me trying to hide it. I am not strong enough to get them back, but you look very strong. Would you please get them back for me?"

A box materialized before Percy. The Quest was called _Almost Fish-Men_ and the rewards included some Drachmas, a lot of **EXP**, and a high-level sword. The main objectives were to retrieve the man's fishing gear and his golden statue. Percy quickly accepted, changing the yellow question mark into a dull gray exclamation point.

"Oh thank you!" the man continued once they had started the Quest. "The statue is about this tall . . ." The fisherman proceeded to describe the precious item as a foot-tall male figure with a sword and riding a wave.

"Ano," Silica mumbled after they had departed and they were looking for a way to find these half-aquatic seafarers. "I would like to sit this one out." Confusion and a round of questions demanding answers met her stuttered statement. "I- it's . . . I'm afraid of boats, OK?"

"You're afraid of boats?" Pollux asked. Silica nodded meekly. "Well if you're staying, I'm staying too." Silica looked up, surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Pollux nodded. "Percy's scared of pelicans, so boats aren't the weirdest fear we've heard, but we're not just going to sit around and twiddle our thumbs. The city needs to be rebuilt after all."

"You know," Thalia stated with a mischievous tone permeating her voice, "if we hear that you two are not in town while we're on this Quest, we'll never let you live it down."

"W-what do you m-mean?" Silica questioned, her face taking on a bright red color.

"Let's just say that you two should keep the Ethics Filter on." The Japanese girl let out a small 'eep!' as her blush deepened. Pollux, despite his trying not to, colored as well. The two glanced at each other, making eye contact before looking away, shuffling their feet awkwardly. The group had a good laugh at their expense.

Pollux moved to say something, but seemed to reconsider before grabbing his girlfriend's hand and made a quick exit to avoid more teasing. The only acknowledgement the group received as the pair left was a hasty wave and an embarrassed "bye!"

"So guys," Percy began as the two newest members faded from view. "Any idea where we can find these dolphin pirates?"

"We could try luring them in with fish," Connor suggested.

"But didn't they take all of that guy's fish when they robbed him?" Nico asked.

"Really?" Annabeth questioned. "Did none of you notice the arrow and number in the corner of your vision?" True to her word, a dull yellow arrow with a distance (in meters) had silently appeared to point them in the correct direction. It was currently pointing toward the northern end of the island. The number for each person was between 395 and 403.

" . . . Oh."

"Come on," Nico insisted. "We can catch them easily at this distance. They're only 400 yards that way." He pointed to the north where the beach curved slightly. They made their way over as quickly as possible without sacrificing stealth. Hopping into the forest when they came within eyesight, the Guild silently trudged along the inner perimeter of the underbrush.

"What a bunch of uglies," Thalia commented. She was right; one would have to be blessed by Lady Aphrodite herself to stay handsome after being turned into a human-dolphin hybrid because Lady Luck was obviously not of their side. The pirates were a compilation of both beings. Many sported dorsal fins or elongated snouts, others lacked one or more arms with the missing appendages replaced by gray flippers. A few slashed in the water, their inability to walk caused by the misfortune of their feet fusing together into one tail. What sounds drifted over from the pirates was an indistinguishable mix of barked orders, grunts, and clicks. The levels on the cursors ranged from 17 to 23.

"We should call Pollux and Silica back," whispered Travis. "We could use some more help."

"No," Percy stated firmly. "Silica didn't want to be around boats, so we won't force her to be. And Pollux . . . We all know where his priorities lie." Their whispered conversation stopped abruptly when the group saw the transformed pirates tense. One of the stronger ones clicked loudly, turned, and clicked again. He stopped after the fourth click.

He stopped after clicking in their direction.

"Oh damn," Katie cursed. "Was that what I think it was?"

Annabeth nodded. "Echolocation," she gulped. The aquatically attuned sea raiders drew their swords, slowly advancing on the group hidden from view. The HOO might as well have been standing in the open for all the help the cover gave them. The closest of the pirates was four steps away when Percy acted.

"What the Hades, right?" Without waiting for a response, Percy burst from the foliage with a battle cry. The sudden charge surprised the hybrids, allowing the impulsive son of Poseidon to slice through one pirate before any of the others could react.

"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth whispered angrily. "You moron!" The other demigods ran to their leader's aid as the mobs recovered from their shock and rounded on the initial attacker. Percy ducked under three swings and backpedaled until the other New Yorkers caught up and drove the dolphin men back.

"Come on!" Connor yelled excitedly. "We can beat them here and now!" He blocked a sword, but was driven back when one of his opponent's cursed comrades joined their fight.

"Percy!" Annabeth called, deflecting a sword with her dagger and clipping her foe's opposite flipper. "Use the water!" The son of the sea god complied, the strange, gut-wrenching feeling players get when using God-Power Skills welling up inside him.

The ocean exploded, water flying every which way to follow the orders of its master's son. The pirates were dragged into the salty liquid as the digital molecules grabbed at them, the mobs clicking and yelling all the way. "Quick!" Annabeth ordered loudly. "To the boat! Percy can hold them down!"

The son of the ruler of the seas listened, the water under his control restraining the flailing hybrids from returning to the sand once more to continue the battle. The other demigods who lacked the lineage of the ocean rushed toward the plank connecting the soft beach to the hard wood of the ship's deck. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of massive shadows loomed on the craft.

The appearance of these two hulking figures shocked them into stopping their attack. Both were hybrids like the other pirates, but where the others looked to be part bottlenose, these two seemed to be half porpoise; the larger, sea-mammal half certainly fit their forms. The two appeared to be brothers, but it was hard to tell with the spotted, hairless, and gray skin tone they had received from their curse. More visible transformations of this new pair of foes included dorsal fins, black waterproof eyes, and pointed teeth. Both massive pirates carried one oversized cutlass each and wore only ripped pants with a belt. Their levels were 35 and their cursors each read **Demon Brother**.

The **Demon Brothers** jumped off the deck, touching the soft powder of the beach's sand for only a split second before charging Percy at speeds faster than one would think possible for a creature of their size. The sudden rush caused Percy to lose his concentration, giving the smaller hybrids free reign to climb aboard the nautical craft via the rigging along the side. The rest of the group once again moved to Percy's side to get him out of trouble, but their two opponents wove through their attacks in an incredible display of acrobatics and physical prowess.

The pirate's ship was around 100 yards and counting from the shore when the demi-dolphin siblings bolted. They dove into the water, swimming as fast as an Olympic swimmer without showing any sign of stress. The demigods could only watch as the pair approached the ship, disappearing under the water for the last stretch before breaking the surface in perfect tandem. They landed on the deck as the ship grew indistinct. The now-tiny boat in the distance bobbed on the water, teasing them.

"Dammit," Thalia swore. "Any chance you can drag that ship in Percy?"

"Afraid not," her cousin responded. "I can only control water within 25 meters of my avatar."

"Great," Nico deadpanned. "What now?"

"Why don't we head back to Galos?" Katie suggested. "Maybe the lovebirds will have an idea." With a unanimous vote and dejected sighs, they returned to town.

**End of Chapter 26**

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**Wish me luck and leave a review!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


	27. Almost Fish-Men (part 2)

So I ment to post this yesterday, but I got home at midnight and doubted that y'all would want an update at that time. I wish to thank all those who Favorated, Followed, or Reviewed the last chapter: you guys make me smile with each alert.

People Are Zbras: Well that was a little mean, but to answer your question, yes the radius will increase as they level up the Skill in question.

Omega Alpha Hydra: Trust me, I have a plan. I hope this chapter makes up for it. OK?

the Oracle of Akemi: Thank you. In the books; yes, but in the myths; no.

Leftback02: Thank you for your wellwishes. I hope you like this chapter just as much.

Suzubells: Thank you for Following and Favorating! Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe later, but I'm making it up as I go along.

* * *

**Chapter 27:**

**Almost fish-men (part 2)**

With a unanimous vote, the demigods of the **Heroes of Olympus** returned to the town of Galos. There, they found who they had been looking for in a small building that had been singed but not burned in the town fire. This building was the city's bakery and inside was the two newest members of the **HOO**. Thalia, after spotting the two partners, snuck up to the table, plucking a pastry from the plate between Pollux and Pina's master in the process. The puffy pastry permeated Thalia's mouth with a sweet, palatable taste as the pair of players looked up in surprise and the petite dragon 'coo'ed a hello to the spawn of Zeus.

"Hey Short-stack," Thalia greeted. "Grape-face. Feathers. Wanna help the Quest a little more?"

"Sure thing Air-head," Pollux shot back. "What do you need besides some sanity?"

"We need a way you to sea. And my sanity is at a healthy level thank you very much."

"Why didn't you ask us before we left?" Silica asked.

"They were on the beach loading their ship, but Kelp Head over there just had to go and rush in with no plan whatsoever, so they got away." Thalia took another pastry, rolling her eyes at the memory.

"I can't think of anything right now," Pollux sighed.

"Oh?" Thalia questioned. "Is that because you have other things on your mind? Other, cuter things?"

"Go away," Pollux ordered, his face coloring. "Why did I join this Guild?" He asked himself. He glanced around, looking for a way to divert the conversation. To his luck, a flash of red, white, and auburn by the entrance of the building gave Pollux an opportunity that he graciously took. "We don't have an idea, but Asuna might. Why don't you ask her?"

Indeed, the vice commander of the **KOB** had chosen that moment to enter the **NPC**-run establishment to order some pastries as celebration. The **Knights** had been given time off until after Christmas by order of Heathcliff himself to have fun but not die, so at that moment Asuna was free to do as she wished.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Asuna turned to find her pseudo-half-sister Annabeth. Being a daughter of Athena as well, the blond had decided to approach the vice commander for information.

"Hey Asuna," the American greeted. "Are you busy?"

"Not at all Annabeth-chan," Asuna smiled. "What do you need?"

My Guild and I are looking for a way out to sea. Do you know of any way to get a boat?"

"You could try the docks," the auburn-haired girl suggested. "I heard a rumor that said that you can get ships and still from the docks where that **Chrysaor** guy got away, but the person went on to say that sailing is not safe for children of Hades, Zeus, and, to a lesser extent, Athena if there is no child of Poseidon on board with them."

"That's really helpful," Annabeth stated happily. "Thank you."

"Do you mind my asking why?"

"We accepted a Quest to beat some pirates and retrieve a statue, but they got away on their ship when we fought them. We're trying to chase them down."

"Would you mind if I tagged along?" Asuna asked. "I have nothing to do currently and it's kinda boring."

"Sure thing," Asuna responded. "I'll get Percy to invite you to the party on the way." The to daughters of Athena made their way back to the group where Silica had fainted from Thalia's merciless teasing.

"That's enough guys," Percy chuckled upon noticing Annabeth's return. He turned to the aforementioned demigoddess. "I take it you have a plan?"

"Athena always has a plan," she replied. "First stop, the docks." They exited the bakery, leaving Pollux behind as he tried to rouse his unconscious girlfriend. As they sauntered through the recovering town, Percy sent Asuna a party invitation that the girl quickly accepted, her name and **Health Bar** appearing on the left side of each member's vision as a result.

When they arrived, the search for a big enough boat began. The eight present party members proceeded to peruse the plethora of Ancient Greek ships until the group came across a sleek craft with a single mast and ten oars (positioned five to each side). The sign in front of the ship called it a Monoreme, a one-layered boost mainly powered by rowing.

"Hey guys," called Nico when he found a boat that would fit their needs. "What about this one?" The party inspected the ship as best they could from their position on the dock. Annabeth and Asuna read the description, which ended by saying that the boat's maximum capacity was 12 people. Percy, Nico, and the Stolls were about to go searching for an **NPC** to rent the craft when Katie spoke up.

"I don't think we're allowed to rent a ship."

"And why not?" Thalia questioned.

"Because of this sign here," Katie answered. She pointed to a post with a board nailed to it. "It says 'ships for sale, not for rent'."

"So we'd have to buy the ship we take?" Connor asked.

"Seems that way," Nico answered. "Luckily this ship seems to be one of the cheaper ones since it's smaller than average."

"I don't know about you all," Percy grinned, "but I like this one." He turned to the ship and pushed a few buttons until a black box with a white hand shape inside a red oval appeared. The price underneath read 7500 Denarii. The directions above said that the price would be split evenly between each player touching the hand when the 'pay now' button is pressed.

With a nod of agreement, all of the **Heroes of Olympus** members moved to touch the hand shape. Asuna made a motion to join them, but she backed away when told that the ship would be the **HOO**'s personal vessel and she, as a member of another Guild, should not help them pay. While hurt, the Japanese girl understood their reasoning and conceded to their wishes.

Seeing the hands of everyone who was going to pay resting on the outline, the son of Poseidon pressed the button, causing the oval to change from red to green before the whole box vanished. The small flag on the ship's mast rippled, the plain white cloth shifted colors until a design settled across the surface of the canvas. The once-white cloth now bore a dark blue background and a large **Drachma** stamped with an omega, the symbol of the **HOO**. Flag waving in the light breeze, the ship proudly proclaimed its new ownership.

"Let's set sail!" Percy exclaimed as he climbed aboard the ship.

* * *

"Wooooooo!" the Guild leader cheered, the wind ruffling his already-messy hair. The source of his newfound joy was a **Poseidon Skill** he had unlocked as they boarded the ship that the Guild had bought; **Poseidon Skill: Ship Control**. He continued cheering as the boat moved at what Percy assured them was the fastest speed he could manage with his skill at level one, 15 knots per hour.

The teen's cousins, on the other hand, were not having fun. Both of the dark-clothed demigods had come down with a terrible case of seasickness. Nico was heaving over the side of the ship and thanking the GM that he hadn't eaten anything during their detour to the bakery. Thalia was holding herself together better than her younger relative, but her face's green tint betrayed the discomfort she was trying her hardest to suppress. The two daughters of Athena had expected to have similar reactions to their seaward voyage, but, to their surprise, the most they felt from the ship's rocking was a slight unease somewhere deep inside them. The boat's other the occupants were feeling fine and laughing at their friends' misfortune.

In the distance, the pirate ship that they had come so close to boarding back on the beach was coming into view one again. The craft was coming closer and into focus. Our more accurately, the players were able to better see the stationary boat as they approached quietly. Above the ship flew a stereotypical pirate flag, the skull-and-crossbones flapping in the ocean breeze above the main sail. On the deck, the ship's crew looked like and scurrying to and fro as they did their various tasks.

Nico stumbled back from the railing, his nausea finally subsiding enough for him to speak freely. "After this Quest," the son of Hades croaked. "Never again."

"Look sharp," Asuna called, her facial expression gardening in preparation for the upcoming fight. "We need to be on top of our game of what you've told me is accurate."

"I wish we could have caught them on the shore again, Annabeth commented. "We're attacking them on their turf."

"Maybe we can," Asuna thought out loud. "Percy-san, we have cannons aboard, do we not?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"That's brilliant," Annabeth whispered. "Everyone, listen up. Here's the plan..."

* * *

The pirates were working tirelessly. Of course, they were not aware of the strenuous activity they were performing, computer programs were not self-aware as far as anyone knew, but they probably would have been complaining of they had been. Either way, their calm was shattered when a cannonball crashed into the side of the ship, shattering multiple oars in the process. The captain, a monster of a man whose only changes from the curse was a gray, rubbery completion and a dorsal fin, cursed colorfully as the broken oars dissolved into polygons. He barked orders to the crew: capture and kill whoever was responsible. One of the pirates clicked, gesturing at a smaller trireme with a coin flag waving in the wind.

As the pirates turned to look at their newest target, the boom of a cannon sounded so soft that it would have been inaudible, even to the mutants' super hearing, if the raiders had not ceased their noisy responsibilities. The spherical projectile tore through their off-white sail, causing a mass of canvas to tumble to the deck. The half-dolphins scrambled about to counterattack, but the fallen sail hindered their attempts to do anything in a timely manner.

"Get them, you fools!" roared the captain. "Destroy their ship and kill everyone on board!"

"Yes captain!" the vocally coherent crewmen yelled back. The other pirates clicked their response, but another cannonball slammed into the side of the ship, reducing more oars to nothing but kindling and pixels washed away in the ocean waves. In the distance, the ship with the gold and blue flag turned and fled toward the island.

The pirates have chase, but their ships greater speed was negated by the loss of half of the sail and nearly a third of the oars. They fired their own long-range weapons, but the launched balls of iron either missed or seemed to be deflected by nothing but the air around the smaller ship.

"Row faster, you dogs!" the captain commanded, irked by the vessel making its escape. The pirate ship increased its speed as a cannonball, launched from the fleeting craft, splashed into the sea on the ship's right and doused the men manning the oars on that side. The pirates were gaining.

After a few minutes of chase and cannon fire, the pirate's target stopped, the hull resting on the sand of the beach. The captain ordered all cannons to fire, but still no projectiles hit their mark.

"If long-range won't work, we'll kill them on foot. Men! Ready your weapons!"

* * *

"Percy," Nico started, another cannonball whizzing by on the group's right. "Are you sure about this? We don't have the element of surprise this time and they're madder than when we last fought them." To Nico's left, Thalia grunted from the strain of redirecting yet another flying object.

"Yeah," Percy responded. "I'm sure. Asuna and Annabeth have planned this whole thing out. Now that we have them angry, they won't run. Now get ready. They're closing in."

"Percy," Annabeth said. "Do it." The son of Poseidon nodded and waded into the surf, his hands held before him. The boat drew closer, but Percy steeled his nerves. Cannonballs bounced right and left from Thalia's air parries as the boy waited for the ship to come into range. With a yell, Percy wrenched his arms upward, gallons upon gallons of water rising under one side of the ship. The craft tipped, all of its artificial weight shifting to the opposite half.

Percy was nearly at his limit, but the ship was still afloat. The demigod pushed at last bit he could, ten more gallons of water joining the surge and forcing the pirate's vessel to capsize. The ship's occupants screamed as they feel into the sea, their means of transportation cracking and splintering as it hit the water or crashed into the seafloor below.

"You little bastard!" barked the captain, his sputtering form rising from the ocean. "I'll get you for that!" The captain swam forward, great heaving strokes carrying his form toward the land where the Guild who had sunk his ship was waiting. He hoisted himself up onto the beach, chasing the retreating son of the sea and followed closely by his crew.

"I hope you're made peace with your parents and the gods," the pirate captain, who's cursor read **Captain Nemo**, sneered. "Because you are not going to leave this beach, alive or ever." With that declaration, the pirates charged.

The battle had begun.

**End of Chapter 27**


	28. Almost Fish-Men (part 3)

**Merry Christmas! Sorry for the delay. I have a bunch of excuses, but none of you want to hear them I'm sure. Thank you to all that read, follow, favorate, and review this story. I'm almost to 100 followers! Now for review responses:**

**SuzuBells: You tell me. CAN he?**

**LeftBack02: Well, it's not only a one time ride. They own the boat now, so they hitch a ride whenever they need to.**

**oblivionrain: I'm not very good with POVs and I feel like it's too late to start doing that. I hope you can review again soon.**

**1v1MeBruh: I would, but I haven't seen a lot of Bleach. Plus I don't want to start anything until this story is finished.**

**Slenderbrine: WHY THANK YOU! I TRY!**

**Pyroan22: This may take some explaining. It's not that Percy is weak or weaker than the others, he just goes for the stronger opponents so his friends don't have to. This loyalty causes him to fight the tougher fights which usually gets him injured. And Nico soloing the Boss? That Boss was made to be solo'ed. Does that make sense?**

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**Chapter 28:**

**Almost fish-men (part 3)**

**Captain Nemo** led the charge. His target: the only player with control over the sea present and the cause of his ship's destruction. The player in question was still catching his breath from the stunt he had just pulled off and was not prepared to engage any pirates in combat. He retreated, stumbling away from the approaching mobs.

The Guild leader was not part of the initial clash of blades. His Guild plus one had surged forward to meet the advancing pirates to cover for their leader while he recovered. Broadswords and knives met cutlasses in a frenzy of sparks and noise, yet neither side yielded.

The pirates pressed forward, using their numerical superiority. A bright blur sped through their ranks, the pixels of the first to fall floating in the wake. Asuna smirked, her rapier stabbing through another aquatic hybrid from behind. She turned, leaping away quickly as a cutlass slashed through the space she had just been occupying. The mutant growled a mixture of clicks and curses, but the girl only smiled in response as her sword began giving off a faint blue glow.

A few feet away, Nico was fighting his own hoard with a neutral expression planted on his face. The boy's seasickness has vanished shortly after arriving on land and, while he was thankful about that, the pirates he found himself fighting were troublesome. A slight twitch on his otherwise stoic face showed his irritation as the son of Hades parried another unexpected thrust.

Because the pirates were meant to be at least part human, the algorithms that controlled their attacks and attack patterns varied between four our five different tactics. All of these tactics shared the command to mix with the other mobs around them. Basically, every pirates was always switching places with another, so a player would be hard-pressed to remember which pirate used which strategy.

To someone like Asuna who had a speed-type focus, algorithms did not matter if they could not touch her, but for players like Nico and most of the Heroes of Olympus, unpredictable attacks were a nuisance that whittled away at their health.

Nico grunted as a cutlass slashed into his left arm, his health falling that much more as a result. His sword flashed forward and bit into the offending mutant, the mob whaling as it dissipated. In response, the surrounding pirates attacked as one, but the teen dodged backward, allowing his shadow to swallow him completely. The mobs growled in what would be annoyance if they were self-aware.

Two of their number burst, the rest turning to face their previous foe. Nico still held his blank expression, but a twinkle in his eye showed that he was at least starting to have fun. The pirates swarmed him and the twinkle quickly vanished. The American was skilled, there was no doubt about that, but even the skilled could only fight so many at one time.

Nico parried as many strikes as he could, but it wasn't enough. He was unable to summon his skeletons for lack of time and the attacks just kept coming. The demigod's health continued to fall as yet another attack skipped through his defenses. That was, until the mob he was focusing on jerked backward, the end of a silver arrow shaking from where its arrowhead had lodged into the pirate's cranium. Nico reacted quickly, lashing out at the mob's exposed midsection. The mutant vanished and its partial remains harmlessly floated away.

The other pirates clicked in outrage until they were peppered by softly glowing arrows and dove away to preserve themselves. Nico gave chase, sending his cousin a thank you over his shoulder.

"Do I always have to bail you out of trouble?" Thalia questioned under her breath as the youngest of the cousins pursued the running pirates. She scanned the surrounding area, loosing an arrow every now and then to help ease the burden of one of her friends. A pirate rushed her and she shot him. The half-dolphin went down, but another hopped over his fallen and blurring comrade, getting much too close for Thalia's comfort.

The mob took a swing at her, but she blocked the attack with the shaft of her bow. Gleaming diver met dull bronze before the girl leapt back and drew her close-range weapon of choice, a plain bronze knife. The pirate attacked again, but the female player blocked with her knife, both their weapons locking at the hilts. She stared into the mob's blank, virtual eyes. With her bow in her other hand, she swung, striking the pirates across the snout. Bows were not made for that, she admitted, but 'whatever works'. The mob stumbled away and she cut a deep gash into its back. The mutant wailed as its health fell by a large amount.

She drew the bowstring, her knife held in her right hand's ring and pinky fingers. She loosed the arrow of moonlight and the sharp projectile solidly penetrated the pirate's shoulder. The half-dolphin clicked in pain before the player shot him again and he burst.

Pain spiked in her right arm and she hoped away on instinct, red polygons floating away from a deep gash in her forearm. To her right, two pirates had snuck up on her. Her knife blocked the first's attack and when the second moved in she shifted to dodge. She shifted enough not to be hit, but her short weapon was not so lucky.

Her knife's Durability ran out and it shattered, unable to take the physical abuse of two cutlasses. The demigoddess cursed as she was forced to retreat. The daughter of Zeus loosed arrows at the advancing attackers, but these two were a higher caliber than their cannon-fodder companions. They were stronger and had a numerical advantage. She needed help.

But who could she call on? Annabeth? No, her knife would probably break like Thalia's had. Katie as well. Asuna? She was on the other side of the fight and wouldn't be able to hear her call. Percy and Nico were wrapped up in their own battles. That left two members of her Guild present.

"Hey!" Thalia called out. "Twins! Can I get a little help here?"

"Sure thing Airhead!" one of the two responded. They ran over, the harmless remains of their previous foes fading behind them. Using their Hermes Skill: Sudden Sprint they appeared before their new opponents with their sword already halfway through an attack. The matching broadswords slashed through both opponents, taking a large chunk of health from the off-guard monsters.

"Can I leave them to you?" the archer asked.

"We've got this!" Thalia scampered toward some higher ground. "So bro, how do you want to do this? Hack away?"

"Sounds good to me. We'll leave any and all planning to Annabeth." They stopped their conversation to turn back to their current adversaries who had recovered from the surprise attack. The mobs growled something incomprehensible and the twins took on a look of offence.

"You take that back," Connor ordered. "Our mother is a wonderful woman!" The digital monsters looked at each other in confusion. They didn't have an action for that kind of response.

Their confusion provided all the time the two sons of Hermes needed. The duo charged, swords gleaming in the digital Mediterranean sun. The half-dolphins reacted just in time, blocking and parrying the twins' wild attacks. Working together, the two brothers slowly depleted the health of the algorithm-driven pirates.

On the other side of the beach, Katie and Annabeth were dancing around their opponents. One of their foes lashed out, but Katie easily dodged its strike. The mob cried out as Annabeth dropped down and severed its feet. It fell, flailing wildly.

Annabeth's calculated risk paid off. The flailing mob damaged its comrades as it fell. An unharmed Katie took advantage of the chaos and attacked. Most of the monsters died instantly.

One of the mutants that survived basically backhanded Katie with his weapon. Fortunately, the girl's positioning resulted in her taking the brunt of the force from the flat of the blade. Unfortunately, the force from the attack propelled her across the beach and toward the woods. She landed with a grunt on a stone sticking out of the sand.

The daughter of Demeter slowly stood, disoriented. She glanced at her Health Bar and did a double take. Her health, which had been at 87% when she had been subjected to the hit, now rested at 34%. Over half of her health, gone! Of course, most of that damage was from her avatar's rough landing on the solid stone protruding from the sand, but Katie did not know that. The brunette was glad that this was a game; a hit like that in the real world would have crippled her for life.

Looking forward, Katie was not happy with what she saw. Stalking toward her was the mutant that was caused her second impromptu flying lesson of their stay in the virtual world. Behind the mutant Annabeth was fighting a two-on-one battle. Katie pelted the approaching enemy with throwing knives to no effect. She scurried into the forest, hoping the foliage there would give her an advantage so she could win quickly and help Athena's daughter. The mob lumbered after her.

Annabeth's fight wasn't going well. The mobs' weapons gave them a much larger range than her knife and both pirates shared the same attack pattern, meaning their teamwork would not allow her to attack without getting hit. She could predict what their attacks were and dodge, but it was all she could do to stay alive.

The daughter of Athena cursed as she avoided one stab only to nearly be caught by another. These foes were giving her no time to think and she was taking damage as a result. She leveled an Athena Glare at them, but the pirates seemed unaffected. The girl dove out of the way just before two blades parted the sand she had been standing on a second before.

Rolling out of the path of another slash, Annabeth took her chances and charged. She was hoping for a head-shot, but her target stopped her attack before it could do any damage. Her other opponent struck, stabbing her side. The demigoddess cried out. Red pixels floated from her avatar as Annabeth retreated, instinctively clutching the wound despite the knowing that the action would have no effect.

Health falling rapidly and vision blurring, the female player believed the approaching monsters to be her end. She crab walked backward in what she thought to be a futile attempt to delay the inevitable.

But it wasn't futile. Her reverse crawling had opened enough space for a fourth player to enter the fight. The newcomer appeared in a flurry of flying knives. The mobs fell back, crying out as the weapons embedded into their digital flesh.

"Nico?" The younger boy looked back at his cousin's crush and gave her one of his rare smiles. Turning back, the son of Hades stabbed the sword he had received from **The Tyrant King** into the soft earth. The **Blackiron Blade** opened a fissure in response to the American's activation of his Hades Skill: Rising of the Damned. The crack in the ground gave off a red glow as fleshless hands rose from the opening, dragging the rest of their skeletal bodies up and out.

After the initial shock wore off, the girl proceeded to heal herself. Taking Nico's offered hand, she stood as the Skeletal Warriors clashed with the monster pirates. She turned to the male who was observing his summons doing battle.

"Thanks for the help," Annabeth said. "I was sure I was going to die there."

"No problem. Besides, Percy would kill me if I let you die."

"Why would he-"

"Get down!" Annabeth found herself on the sand once again, this time with the younger player on top of her. One of the Chipped Broadswords of the skeletons flew through the air above them. Right where the demigoddess' head had been.

A few feet away, the population of undead was dwindling. Of the 11 mobs summoned, only seven were left. The mobs continued to battle for supremacy. Blades clashed and sparks flew as the non-players dueled. The pirates yelled as multiple weapons impaled them, their existence fading away as their bodies dissipated.

* * *

"Are you the captain of this rabble you call a crew?" Captain Nemo asked Percy as they faced each other, the sound of battle erupting around them. "I hope you've prayed to your father because you and your crew are about to pass on!" The Field Boss attacked, charging at the teen. He ducked, avoiding the first swing and moving to counter.

Their battle raged on. Both were losing health, but only the sentient fighter seemed affected be this realisation. The son of Poseidon parried another strike and moved to attack, but his concentration was broken by a sound he had never hoped to hear on the battlefield. Annabeth's scream from her being stabbed caused Percy to freeze. His opponent, however, has no qualms about continuing and attacked as the demigod turned away.

Percy grunted as his foe's sword bit into his back. Seeing his male cousin come to the aid of the blond female, the oldest of the group once again focused on his fight, but the damage was done and he now has a Bleeding Effect to show for it. With his HP slowly draining away, Percy needed to finish the fight quickly.

The Demon Brothers would have none of that. They appeared on either side of their captain from where they had been holding off the member of the KOB in the group, blocking the demigod's downward slash. In response to the pair's appearance, Asuna materialized next to the Guild leader. The five strong combatants stared each other down. Asuna gave the pirates an Athena Glare that held them in place long enough for Percy to stuff some Ambrosia down his throat before all five charged.

The Black-haired male and auburn-haired female were soon overwhelmed. Their health was in the red when they finally retreated, the three opponents hot on their heels. The mutants were gaining until one of their own burst from the jungle, clicking something about wine and their curse.

The lesser mobs fled in a heartbeat, abandoning their battles to dive into the ocean to despawn later. **Captain Nemo** cried out to them, yelled to them, ordered them to stand and fight, but to no avail. Out of the woods walked Pollux, Silica, and Katie.

"You," the captain of the pirates growled. "Who are you that makes my men run like startled pups?"

"I am Pollux, son of Dionysus."

"The god of wine's son?" **Captain Nemo** muttered. "Perfect. I shall finally have revenge on that immoral for the curse he inflicted upon us!" The leader and his two strongest men charged toward the newcomer, his girlfriend, and the daughter of Demeter. The two females headed off the Demon Brothers while the male accepted the Field Boss's unspoken challenge.

**Captain Nemo** attacked with a vengeance. He stabbed, slashed, and whirled in an attempt to end the life of the spawn of the god of wine. Pollux reacted in kind, his higher health and lack of binding anger giving him two large advantages. In his backstory-induced rage, the mob overextended a stab that Pollux sidestepped. The player's weapon flashed downward, severing the pirate's sword arm.

The pirate captain stumbled backward, gaping at his wounds as his health fell into the double digits. He cursed, lunging at Pollux barehanded, and landed right on Pollux's outstretched weapon.

"Captain!" the **Demon Brothers** cried, their lost concentration costing them precious health.

"Your father's a bastard," Nemo coughed. "A dirty, rotten, good-for-nothing bastard. You know that?" With those words, the captain of the men who had been changed into mutants ran out of health, his body bursting into countless polygons and leaving behind most of the Quest rewards. The **Demon Brothers** fell soon afterwards, their fighting spirit crushed by the loss of their captain. The **HOO** plus one gathered around, the majority of their fights having ended with the lesser mobs' mass exodus.

"Nice of you to drop by," Thalia joked. "You too, Silica. I thought you didn't like boats."

"I don't," the girl responded, "but I saw all your Health Bars falling an knew you all needed help, so we followed the arrows here."

"And saved my life," Katie added.

"Well now that that's done," Percy began, "let's talk to the fisherman and head back. I've had enough excitement 'til New Year's, thank you very much."

"But what about training?" Annabeth questioned.

"Forget it," Nico said. "Now let's go get ready for Christmas."

**End of Chapter 27**

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**Please Review! And Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Happy New Years!**


	29. Chrysaor's Lair

**Here we go. Chapter 29 is out. I just finished writing it today and i hope you like it. It's kind of a filler chapter, but that's what I've got so far. All suggestions are welcomed with an open inbox, so don't forget to review. Review for last chapter came from Ayano's Theory of Relativity, Chasing Insanity, Slenderbrine, and 1v1MeBruh. Thank you all. **

**Also, Thank You, Chasing Insanity, for pointing that out. I have fixed it.**

**Now, on to the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 29:**

**Chrysaor's Lair**

Christmas came and went with little **EXP** gains for a great majority of the players. Most of the living occupants of **DHO** migrated to the Camp Half-Blood servers to enjoy the snow that was falling there. The rest took advantage of the lack of crowds to get some Christmas shopping done without too much trouble. The exceptions to this were the solo players. They had few if any friends on their Friend Lists and spent time grinding for the **EXP** that would have normally been taken by the masses. Soon, New Year's rolled around and, while there was more activity than Christmas, most players had chosen to enjoy themselves.

After all, one could die any day in a game like **Demigod Heroes Online**.

It was the day after New Year's and everyone was in a flurry trying to catch up on all the **EXP** they had left open during the holiday season. The lower floors were a scrambled mess of activity since no one, with the exception of a group of **KOB** higher ups that knew the way from their commander, wanted to waste time looking for a Floor 9 Quest like the **HOO** and Asuna had.

The weather on the 9th floor was exceptional; the sky was blue, the grass was green, and everything else was its appropriate color. That was, until a fog rolled in. It came out of nowhere and with no warning. Boats on the water were either lost in the mist or dropped anchor to avoid drifting aimlessly. The fog stayed for nearly an hour, just long enough for the Guilds to call their members and other Guilds up and into their own meetings.

Then the fog vanished as quickly as it came. Suddenly everything was clear again, but something was different. Out on the horizon, on the edge of the floor, was an island that had not been there before. How could an island just appear? The raid group of **DHO,** now over 200 players strong, had a meeting for representatives of each Guild to save space in the town square. They filled the cobblestones, the doorways, and the windows, but all the Guilds were accounted for. Heathcliff led the meeting with Asuna faithfully standing on his right. Representing the Heroes of Olympus Guild were Percy and Annabeth and standing next to them was the Red-clad Klein.

"Right," the leader of the game's strongest group began as the shuffling and talking died away. "As you all know, an island appeared when a freak fog suddenly showed up. We don't know why it happened, but we can assume that the island is the **Boss Room**." Yelling and questions broke out within the racks of the players present. The strongest of the game tried to regain order through respected authority, but no one could hear him.

A ripple of darkness rolled through the square, scaring everyone into silence. Standing at the origin point was Kirito, clad in his usual black clothes. He walked up to the platform Heathcliff and his second in command were standing on, the crowd parting for him. Once there, he spoke in a voice barely loud enough for those present to hear.

"I caused the fog and unlocked the Boss." There was silence, so the Beater continued. "It was unlocked after a Quest on the far side of the map. I remembered it because I was the one to do it in the Beta, but the starting point had changed, so I had to go looking. You all should be glad that I waited until after your celebrations died down before doing it." Heathcliff nodded to the younger player in confirmation, his silent approval a stark contrast to the loud booing of many in the crowd.

"Thank you Kirito-kun," Heathcliff said before turning back to the assembled raiders. "Now then, we sent some scouts from the Army to gather some Intel on the **Boss Room** and they are due back any second. Does anyone wish to say something while we await their arrival?"

"Did you say scouts from the Army?" Kirito scoffed. "Those fools won't be back for another half an hour if they didn't flee already. Listen up!" The son of Hades turned to the crowd. "**Chrysaor the Golden Sword** is a Human-Type Boss that has high attack and speed stats. He fights with a single, gold sword, just as his name implies and has a few Area of Effect (AoE) skills due to his demigod origins that he activates with his free hand. Being a child of Poseidon, Chrysaor can cause a large tidal wave that washes over the map but causes little to no damage. That wave, called **Flooding**, is meant to push players around and disorient them, but it also affects his Sentinels. It has no affect on other children of Poseidon. That's his first skill.

"The next skill is **Hidden Mist**. For you people that read or watched _Naruto_, yes, it's just that. He summons a thick fog that we can't see through. Luckily, his **Sentinels** can't see through it either. Several children of Zeus working together should be able to blow the mist away.

"His last skill is **Water Whip**. This attack only targets one player at a time, but it does high damage and can blast you off your feet. It affects everyone including children of Poseidon. That one looks like exactly what it sounds like. Be careful. You can jump away from it, but if it catches you in the air, it does more damage and throws you farther. Yes, you." Kirito stopped, pointing at a male solo player with blond hair and blue armor that had his hand raised.

"Is there any way to block the **Water Whip** attack?"

"That's... actually a good question. I like you." The solo player looked uncomfortable at that information. Kirito didn't notice. "But to answer your question: not as far as I know. You'd probably need to be a child of Poseidon with a high **Water Control** level to redirect his attack. Otherwise rolling is your best option."

"Why are you telling us this?" another player shouted. Kirito found the source to be a woman with red hair and purple armor.

"Because I can't do this on my own and, though I don't want to admit it, there are actually some people that I like and want to survive. Unfortunately, if I told only them information, they'd likely be branded cheaters and sentenced fines or something like that. So, to protect them, I'm telling all of you." The players looked at each other in confusion. That was out of character for the Beater... "Plus people who last longer make for better cannon fodder." ...And there it was.

"Now where was I? Oh! **Sentinels**. The **Sentinels** will be pirates like to ones we fought when we first arrived. There should be... Heathcliff, how many are in the raid group?"

"A little over two hundred last we counted. Why?"

"That means that there should be between 240 to 270 **Sentinels**. They are armed with basic cutlasses for slashing attacks. They have little to no armor and above average health. I think it would be best if we had the children of Poseidon fight Chrysaor, weather you fight as a group or in turns is up to you. Everyone else should target the mobs. Any more questions? Yes Blondie?" He pointed to Annabeth, who had come with Percy to represent their Guild.

The daughter of Athena looked annoyed at the name, but refrained from lashing out. She took a deep breath before speaking. "Will the Athena, Zeus, and Hades players be at a disadvantage in this **Boss Room**?"

"I'm afraid we will," Kirito admitted. "After reaching this floor in the Beta, I did some research about Chrysaor's myth. Turns out he was one his father's favorite children at the time and was gifted a giant turtle as a pet. I say this because the island is not an island-"

"It's his pet turtle," Annabeth finished. She received a nod from the Beater in confirmation.

"And it will eat a ship or two of we approach directly. That happened in the Beta as well."

"I remember hearing something about that," Heathcliff announced. "I thought it was just weird rumors."

"I'm afraid not. Are there any more questions?" No one moved. "Good. I, ugh, I'll be leaving now." The teen's shadow quickly swallowed his form, leaving nothing but the crowd of players staring at the place where he had been.

"Well... that was a thing," someone joked, effectively breaking the growing tension that the son of Hades' exit had caused.

"Alright everyone," Heathcliff stated before the inevitable chatter could begin, "I want to see everyone by the docks three days from now at nine o'clock sharp. That's when we'll set out for the **Boss Room**. Someone please message Kirito-kun about the time and date. That is all."

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The allotted time came quickly and all those who could muster up the courage to come were milling around the docks of floor 9. Of the Guilds, the **HOO**, **KOB**, the Army, **Fuurinkazan**, and a plethora of others were present. Mingling with them were the partied groups that did not have a Guild. Standing on the edge of the crowd were the solo players, walking with confidence in their own skills and, in some cases, mistrust in the other players. Standing at the end of the dock, by all the boats that had been summoned and/or bought just for the occasion, were Kirito, Heathcliff, and Asuna.

"What do you think Kirito-kun?" Heathcliff asked, gazing at their destination in the distance. "Is this fight going to be hard?"

"I can't say," Kirito replied. "We had trouble during the Beta with the seasickness and all that, but we didn't have this many people show up."

"How are you going to get there?" Asuna questioned abruptly before fixing her gaze on the Beater. "You're a son of Hades, so you can't take a boat without a child of Poseidon. Who are you going to ride with?"

"Yes," Heathcliff grinned, "you're welcome to ride with us."

"Thanks," the son of Hades responded, "but I think I'll ride with my favorite brother, if you don't mind." The teen faded into his own shadow before popping out of Nico's. The younger jumped in surprise and absolutely did NOT shriek like a girl (despite what his cousins would claim). The **HOO** had a good laugh at the boy's expense. If one were to look really closely, they would see a small smile on Kirito's face.

"Well," Heathcliff said to his second-in-command, "it's time. Shall we begin?"

"Yes, Heathcliff-sama."

"Alright everyone!" Heathcliff exclaimed as he turned around. His words called everyone's attention to his form. Hearing no one speak, he continued. "Welcome! I'm glad we are all here. First question: does anyone not have a ride to the island?" There was no response. "Very good. Next question: does everyone know the plan, or do I need to remind you all?" Again, there was no response causing the broad son of Ares to smile.

"Wonderful. Now, let's go clear this floor. For our survival!"

"FOR OUR SURVIVAL!" The mass of players echoed. They moved forward and into the boats, ready and willing to risk their lives for a chance at freedom.

* * *

The fleet, if it could be called that, approached the mass that housed the Boss Room of Floor 9. The winds summoned by a few of the more experienced children of Zeus that could resist the sickness that came with sailing quickly pushed the boats toward their destination. The ships banked starboard to avoid the monster's mouth, ensuring that no ships were lost at the price of a longer route. As the turtle/island loomed closer, more details began to take shape. Details like the fact that the turtle they were trying to land on was moving.

The creature was much bigger than Percy thought it would be. If the son of Poseidon were to estimate, he'd say it was probably about the size of Pax, the city they had just come from. The shell that was visible was covered in a layer of green, undersea plant life, but the cover itself, under closer inspection, proved to be a grey/brown color. Only one of the creature's legs could be seen, the appendage shifting slowly as the monstrous pet swam lazily through the water.

The boats made their way to the turtle's side and the players despawned the crafts that they could. It was moments like that that made Percy glad the boats could be summoned at any port in the game; moving it everywhere would be a massive hassle.

The large group trudged forward along a barely-defined path that cut through the undersea foliage. No monsters blocked their path and no traps were sprung. The only obstacle in their way was the shifting of the turtle under their feet.

The course they took lasted for almost 25 minutes, but the group was able to arrive with no casualties. They found that the main area was directly in the center of the turtle's back, an arena of sorts that was ringed by a circle of risen shell. The players didn't know if that was physically possible, but they were trapped in a life-or-death VRMMORGP and fighting a pirate on the back of a giant turtle, so they did not question the area.

Sitting at the far side from the players' entrance point was Chrysaor himself upon a golden throne, his sword leaning on the right side of the glorified seat. He had not changed since the last time he and the players had faced each other. Next to him, Tacitus' granddaughter, Calista, sat on the ground with a golden collar locked around her slim neck and chains connecting her to the Boss's chair. Her blond hair was wild and matted, not at all like the silky locks she had had when the players had last laid eyes on her and her skin looked far less smooth. Her clothes were in tatters, barely covering her modesty. As they watched, Chrysaor yanked on the chain. The sight caused by the action resulted in many of the guys having... problems. No doubt a ploy by the creator to distract them. It worked.

The Boss in question lounged with the chain in one hand. A helmet still rested on his head, but this one was different than the last one. The last helmet had been pure gold and rather plain, but this one seemed to be his battle helmet. And what a helmet it was.

The mask looked like a monster, but not one the players had seen yet. The majority of the coloring was a sickly green with a scaly pattern. The mouth was twisted into a snarl, fangs protruding from both the top and bottom of the green lips. The top of the mask was dressed in a myriad of various snakes. Copperheads, pythons, rattlesnakes, and many others so realistic that they seemed to be frozen in time mid-strike.

But to was the eyes that drew attention, not the snake hair or the rough-looking skin. The eyes of the man behind the mask were not shown, but they were no less terrifying. Slitted pupils surrounded by irises the color of acid. The whites were anything but; yellows of all shades mixed in a catastrophe of horror that pronounced the fear instilled in the hearts of the demigods.

"Medusa," Annabeth breathed, taken aback by the hideous sight of the Boss's helmet. "Of course. Chrysaor's mother was the gorgon Medusa."

"So you know of my mother, I see," the man guarding the tenth floor said, rising from his seated position and drawing his weapon from its sheath. "But that knowledge will not help you here. This is where you all fall. Come at we, pesky demigods, and feel the wrath of my golden blade! Feel the wrath of The Gold Sword, Chrysaor!"

**End of Chapter 29**

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**Read and Review.**


	30. The Golden Sword (part 1)

**Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know this is freakishly late and that y'all are probably angry now that I have your attention. I have my reasons, top of the list being school (read Hell on Earth) and Writer's block. But now I'm back with a fresh chapter and let me tell you, this Boss it hard to write! Luckily, I added an Omake that can be taken as part of the storyline or separate that I think will tickle some of you and confuse others.**

**TheLifelessFlame: Why thank you!**

**Omega Alpha Hydra: You're right, I didn't mention that... in the last chapter. I did in this one just. for you. Not really, but I made you feel special, didn't I?**

**bookygurl3400: Sorry, but I didn't get the reference. I hope you enjoy this fight.**

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**Chapter 30: **

**The Golden Sword**

"Feel the wrath of The Gold Sword, Chrysaor!" The Boss rose as his minions materialized behind him with a battle call.

But they didn't attack. There was a pregnant pause where the players tensed, ready for battle. Instead, Chrysaor stepped ahead of his small army.

"Now how are you going to kill me?" the Boss asked. Behind him, his hostage looked at the demigod with pleading eyes, silently calling for rescue. While this happened, the evil son of Poseidon continued to speak. "I am the heir of the god of the ocean. Do you truly believe that you can defeat me while on the sea?"

"Well we didn't have much of a choice, did we?" Kirito snarked. "A Boss in a game never leaves his lair."

"You see this as a game? Truly this is a life-or-death situation. I would think you would take this a little more seriously."

"Oh, trust me. I am serious. This is a deadly game we're playing, but it is still a game."

"Well, if this is such a fun 'game' to you, let's play." Out of nowhere, a **Water Whip** struck at the Beater. Kirito was not fast enough to dodge, but, luckily, Asuna was. She shoved him out of the way and dodged herself causing the end of the attack to strike the ground he had been standing on.

"I keep telling you that your big mouth is going to get you killed," Asuna chastised.

"Like an attack like that could kill me," Kirito scoffed, rising from his downed position.

"It very well could have!"

"Yeah right!"

"Would you two save the flirting until after the fight?" Polux questioned.

"We're not flirting!" the two Japanese players yelled in unison.

"I beg to differ!" Klein argued.

"Silence!" Chrysaor ordered. "You insolent fools are getting on my last nerve. Men, kill them!" His minions charged with swords poised to kill.

"You all know the plan," Heathcliff roared over the sound of the oncoming force. He raised his shield. "Go." The players lifted their weapons and ran. The two groups collided in the center of the arena with a myriad of Sword Skills and battle calls. Metal rang as the Sentinel's cutlasses clashed with the plethora of player weapons. Avatars, both human and system controlled, grunted in pain as wounds were inflicted on both sides. Chrysaor searched for the demigod with the big mouth, but before he could find that certain black-haired teen, another confronted him.

"Hey there, Big Bro," Percy smiled. Behind the American were the other 16 players of the raid group with a green Trident cursor. "I'm sorry. Are we interrupting? I really hope not, cause we've got some family business to take care of."

**"**Family business, huh? We can't have that. Fine, let's see who is father's favorite." He lunged at the lead player, their swords sparking as gold met bronze. The others fanned out, surrounding the Floor Boss. The two in the middle began to duke it out, spinning and slashing as quickly as the system would allow. Their Life Points began to dwindle.

Percy slashed at the masked Boss, but his attack was halted by his opponent's weapon. He pulled back and barely avoided the retaliation strike. Percy felt the virtual air brush against him and he stumbled backwards to regain his balance. As the player backpedaled, the Boss advanced, slashing across his chest. Percy tried to block the strikes but each attack put his balance further from his reach.

Suddenly, Chrysaor stabbed rather than slashed and Percy was glad he was still trying to block. The instinctual shift of his sword pushed against the Boss's forward motion, shifting the blade so it landed in his shoulder rather than impaling his heart. Percy grunted in pain as the sword went in, but the weapon gave him the grounding point. He reached out and grabbed the handle of the golden sword with his free hand, planting his feet at the same time. Chrysaor's eyes widened when Percy's weapon was forced into his exposed stomach.

The pirate captain tried to pull away, but found that whenever he shifted his body back, Percy would push his sword forward. He tried to pull his golden weapon free, but Percy's hand held fast. Both of them were losing health at a rapid pace and Chrysaor and new he would hold out longer than his younger brother, but there were 16 others just waiting to face him. Chrysaor did the one thing that he could.

He punched Percy in the face. The black-haired boy reeled from the force that would have broken his nose. Chrysaor, too, moved away, his hands over his midsection where ready code was flowing into the surrounding air.

The boy looked at him and nodded, confusing the Boss. Percy backed up as a short sword shoved through the Boss's back. The pirate rolled forward and turned to his immediate threat. It was a girl with dark brown hair and aqua eyes. She had a small frame clothed in a white uniform with a red trim. The outfit matched two others in the ring around them. She had a look in her eyes that said she was enjoying the fight.

"And who might you be, little sister?"

"I'm Astra," the daughter of the sea god said with a French accent. "And I'm 'ere to kick your ass." Chrysaor raised an eyebrow at the girl's vulgar language.

"That's quite a mouth you've got," Chrysaor commented.

"My language is like ze sea; it doesn't like to be contained." She lunged forward in an attempt to stab the Boss's chest, but he shoved her blade to the side with his own. The force shifted her momentum to her right. Astra spun with the force. Raising her right leg, she kicked her "brother's" mask. Chrysaor made an audible gasp as he fell, his free hand coming up to rest on the new dent in his mask.

"You will pay for that, Little Astra."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, sarcasm rolling off her words. "Did zat 'urt? Zat's just like me; I love to break zings zat aren't mine." The Boss growled and dove at the female player, but the girl spun out of the way and kicked him again. "Oops. My feet seem to 'ave a mind of zeir own. Would you like some 'elp up?"

"You've done enough," Chrysaor spat. He lashed his arm out, water from the surrounding air condensing around it, but before his attack could hit the girl, it shuck and fell apart. The kind fusion on the boss's face morphed into one of pain and irritation went Astra, without missing a beat, cut into his outstretched arm.

"What did you do, girl?"

"Oh, I didn't do anyzing," the French player smirked.

"We did." Chrysaor looked around in terror at the combined voice of the players circling him. He formed another **Water Whip** to see what would happen. The players around him made various ripping gestures and the attack fell apart once more.

"I see," the pirate muttered. "You are combining your powers to override my own. Clever. But, can you control what you can't see?" He lifted his arms and a white fog covered the area, obscuring the vision of every player and the minion in the arena.

Percy couldn't see his sword in front of his face. Calls of confusion sounded from the circle of siblings. He heard a girl cry out in pain and a shadow appeared in the fog before the American. A second later, Astra crashed into him. They fell into a mass of groaning and entangled limbs. From the direction she had come, Chrysaor laughed.

"Ha! You are all 100 years too early if you wish to face me on an even playing field." His shadow loomed over the fallen siblings. The two tried to get up and defend themselves, but their motions hindered each other. The Boss raised his weapon to strike them down…

… And was blown off his feet by a gust of wind.

"Get away from my cousin, you bastard!" a familiar voice called through the vanishing fog. The obstruction cleared to reveal a very angry daughter of Zeus.

"A friend of yours, I take it?" Astra commented.

"A relative with a badass weapon, yeah." An arrow of moonlight covered in sparking electricity flew over their heads. While Astra was still trying to wrap her head around what just happened, Percy stood. He faced Thalia with a confused but otherwise happy grin.

"Not that I'm complaining," he began, "but what are you doing here?"

"What does it look like? I'm saving your ass," she laughed. "The others had the minions covered, so I didn't really have anything to do. I was on my way here when the fog rolled in, so I helped."

The two cousins turned back to the fight when the ringing of the sword on sword contact began again. They found that Astra's Guild siblings, Alpha and Winchester666, had intercepted the Boss after he had recovered from Thalia's surprise attack. Winchester666, who fought with a rapier, was covering Alpha, whose slower net-and-trident attacks were doing more damage.

There fast-and-slow combinations seemed to work as the boss was mostly on the defensive. As the cousins and Astra watched, Chrysaor moved to attack his opponents, but his strike was blocked by Alpha's three-pointed weapon and the **Gold Sword** was forced to withdraw under a flurry of rapid stabs from Winchester666.

"They work well together," Percy noted.

"Zat is because zey're best friends," Astra responded. "Well, ze best of friends you can 'ave after meeting in a death game a few months before."

"How do they know each other?" Thalia asked.

"Zey joined ze Guild before I did, but ze stories I've 'eard said Alpha was a Beta Tester who taught Dean what he knew."

"Dean?" Percy questioned.

"Zat is Winchester666's nickname. Somezing about a popular American show and 'is username. I'm not really sure."

Meanwhile, the children of Poseidon had recovered from their confusion and had formed the circle once more. The Boss growled in annoyance at the ring around himself and his two current adversaries. Alpha lunged, fully intending to rid the Boss of the first of his two **Health Bars**, but Chrysaor flung himself backwards.

Landing on his back, Medusa's son launched a kick upwards that slammed into Alpha's solar plexus l. To add injury to insult, Chrysaor's weapon arched up, severing the player's legs. Alpha landed in a heap upon the cold shell floor, unconscious and with only 33% **HP**.

"Dean!" Percy shouted. "Get him out of there! Zulu, cover them!" Winchester666 complied, sprinting past the Boss, and ducking his slash, to reach his partner and retreat to the circle. Zulu, and African-American player garbed in the lighter of the Army's two mandatory armor options, jumped into the middle with a battle call. Armed with a javelin and a light shield, the player proceeded to attack Chrysaor with a style based on that of his avatar's namesake.

"I see," the Boss muttered. "A descending from the Mediterranean's southern border. I have never had the privilege to fight one of you. I do hope your skills are equal to the stories I've heard."

"Trust me," Zulu growled, "it may not be a Greek style, but I'm going to play this damn game the way I want to. My ancestors in the real world were feared all across Africa for their strength, and I shall take up the mantle. I will fight, to my last breath if need be."

"You, too, believe this to be a game," Chrysaor sighed. "I pity you." The man in the golden mask lunged forward causing the Army player to leap back. He locked eyes with the son of the Gorgon before releasing a battle call and diving forward.

**End of Chapter 30**

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**Omake: The Summon With The Afro**

"Get back!" Nico ordered, slashing at his pirate opponents. The boy was nearly in the yellow, but had not used his Hades Skill: Summoning of the Damned yet. Now needing some breathing room and probably a break, he chose to unleash his most powerful ability. He plunged his ebony sword into the floor of the arena, opening a crack as he had done a dozen times before, but this time it turned out differently.

"Yohohoho!" laughed a voice Nico had never heard before. To his right, both Connor and silica froze at the sound and slowly turned to look at the crack. Out of the crevice rose a skeleton like nothing Nico had ever summoned.

The summit stood at an impressive seven feet and was garbed in no armor sans a fancy but ragged suit. Held in the bony fingers of its right hand was a purple walking stick that curved like a candy cane. A steaming teacup was held in its other hand. A tall top hat sat upon a massive Afro growing out of the skeleton's skull. It's cursor read **'The Humming Swordsman**' with a skull-and-crossbones wearing a straw hat.

"Yohoho!" the summon laughed. "Aren't these men scary? OH GOD, THESE MEN ARE SCARY!" He ran behind Nico is an attempt to hide using the son of Hades, losing his teacup in the process.

"What are you doing?" Nico demanded, moving away from the cowardly skeleton. "You're the summon, so you're supposed to fight them."

"What?" The skeleton answered. "They'd skin me alive! Not that I have any skin or am alive. Yohoho! Double skull joke!"

"Just do your job," Nico ordered, never having had to argue with a summoned before and thoroughly confused by the suit-wearing being. "Your name is '**The Humming Swordsman**', so hum or something." If the skeleton had lips, he would have grinned at the suggestion.

"As you command." The figure straightened to his full height and slowly pulled the top from his cane, revealing a hidden sword. The skeleton began to sway from side-to-side, singing eerily as he did so. His voice, which had seemed light and whimsical, now sent a shiver down the spines (skull joke!) of the players nearby.

**Yohohoho Yohoho Hoo!**

**Yohohoho Yohoho Hoo!**

**Yohohoho Yohoho Hoo!**

**Yohohoho Yohoho Hoo!**

The skeleton shifted his weight forward before vanishing. Both the Sentinels and the players looked around in confusion. Once again, its eerie singing floated through the immediate area.

**Making a delivery, bringing it across the sea **

**Bink's sake in the hold as we sail through the breeze~**

**Far across the eye can see, the sun is shining merrily **

**As the birds fly in the sky as they sing out with glee~**

**Yohoho Yohoho Hoo!**

**Yohoho Yohoho Hoo!**

**Yohoho Yohoho Hoo!**

**Yohoho Yohoho Hoo!**

The skeleton reappeared behind the **Sentinels**, his sword slowly entering its sheath. With one word and the soft 'click' of his sword, every **Sentinel** in the area seemed to explode with red code and shatter.

"Farewell." An uproar filled the air from the watching demigods, startling the summit. "Oh dear me! I had forgotten you all were there. You nearly made me jump out of my skin. Oh wait! I don't have any anyway. Yohohoho! Skull joke! Well, now that my work here is done, I bid you ado." The well-dressed summon bowed to the players before a crack opened below him and his bones were sucked in. There was silence until one player said,

"What the bloody Hell was that?"

"That," Connor answered, "was Brooke, the musician of the Straw-Hat Pirates of the anime _One Piece_. It was also proof that Kayaba Akihiko doesn't give a damn about copyrights."

"Right now," shouted another player, "I don't care! That was awesome!"

Unfortunately, Try as Nico and others may, no one was able to re-summon **The Humming Swordsman**.

**End of Omake**

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**Read and Review! **

**...Please.**


	31. The Golden Sword (part 2)

**Happy Anniversary! This day marks one year since I posted the first two chapters of this story. I've improved a lot since then, haven't I? Today has been a really busy day for me: Senior Portfolio Fair this morning, Ratings for concert band after lunch, and then posting this. Everything seems to be happening today.**

**Good news and bad news. Good news, inspiration has struck and I've been writing whenever I've had the chance for the last two weeks. Bad news, it's not for this story. Ever since I wrote that Omake, I've been writing a One Piece story that I have 15 chapters of so far. For those of you that would be interested, its basis is what if Coby chose to turn his back on becoming a Marine and joined Luffy on his journey.**

**Sorry about the long delay; Chrysaor is hard to write for. Anyway, reviews last chapter came from Guest (guest), flameledgendvargus, Omega Alpha Hydra (twice XD), the Oracle of Akemi, Anon-Korakas (glad you loved the Omake), CHARA (guest), and iron-slayer-dragon. Thank you all and happy reading!**

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**Chapter 31: The Golden Sword (part 2)**

_"Trust me," Zulu growled. "It may not be a Greek style, but I'm going to play this damn game the way I want to. My ancestors in the real world were feared all across Africa for their strength, and I shall take up the mantle. I will fight, to my last breath if need be."_

_"You, too, believe this to be a game," Chrysaor sighed. "I pity you." The man in the golden mask lunged forward causing the Army player to leap back. He locked eyes with the son of the Gorgon before releasing a battle call and diving forward._

The Boss stepped to the side, avoiding the spear that stabbed through the air where his torso had been. He leaned away from the next two attacks and jumped over a slash. The masked Boss brought his sword down, but Zulu batted it away with his light shield and countered. Sparks flew from where his spear struck the hideous, dented mask.

Chrysaor went on the offensive, starting a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The Boss would attack, leaving very few openings in his guard, but Zulu's fighting style was not based on attack or defense like Chrysaor was programmed to fight; it was based on speed. The African just would not stay still long enough for the Boss to properly target him.

"Stay still, damn it!" Chrysaor growled, missing strike after strike.

"Not on your digital life," the Army player shot back, rolling under a horizontal slash and nicking the Boss's leg. Zulu had won First Blood of the round. Chrysaor spun and unleashed a downward slash, but Zulu was too quick for him. The Boss's gold sword sparked on the ground, but otherwise did nothing.

With his weapon down, Medusa's son was left open to the Shield Bash Zulu attacked with next. Spitting up red code, Chrysaor swung his sword, but the weapon only glanced off the player's shield. The African-American continued with his hit-and-run tactics, taking his opponent's Health little by little. A cut to the leg here, a Shield Bash there. The wounds started piling up.

But there was a big difference between a player and a CPU. The players were still as close to human as a digital avatar could be, so while they could command godly powers of myth, they were still limited by the system, their level, and their imagination. NPCs, on the other hand, were not held back by basic needs such as food, water, and sleep, but by their programming.

The three basic needs would refill a player's energy much like they would in the real world. In this case, the 'energy' was not an abstract concept, but an actual number represented by Stamina. In the game, food, water, and sleep, if ignored by a player, would begin to deplete a player's Stamina until it reached zero.

If a player's Stamina reached zero, they died.

Here, Stamina came into play. Zulu's strategy was sound for many lesser mobs with lesser Health, but a Boss does not wear down at the same rate. The problems began with a few blinking letters on the edge of his vision.

**EXSD.** Exhausted.

Exhaustion was a Status Effect that decreased a player's stats by one point per percent below 50% Stamina and was removed when the demigod raised their Stamina above the hallway mark by eating food, such as **Ambrosia and Nectar,** or sleeping. There was also **V-EXSD,** Very Exhausted, which happen after the 25% mark and removed two points per percent.

Now, make no mistake. Zulu had a very high Stamina level and was one of, if not the, fastest players in the game, but his speed-based fighting style took up a lot of energy to maintain and a player on Floor 9 and at level 27 can only last so long against a Boss-level opponent solo.

Once the exhaustion set in, things went downhill for the Army player. He started slowing down, causing the already small distances between his body and Chrysaor's sword to get smaller. His attacks became weaker until the Boss knocked his shield away and kicked him in the chest.

Zulu didn't give up. He pulled himself off the ground and dove to the right to avoid **The Golden Sword's** weapon as it came down in a deadly arc. He rolled to his shield and picked it up. Chrysaor turned to him and slashed, but the player was able to block the golden blade was his shield and manipulate his **Player Menu** with the other hand. Quickly, he summoned a chunk of **Ambrosia** from his storage and shoved it in his mouth.

He was not disappointed. The godly food raised his Stamina up to 55%, giving him back all the speed and agility he'd lost. He zipped away from the Boss whose eyes widened. Zulu appeared behind him and thrust his spear at the pirate.

Chrysaor attempted to dodge, but the attack was too fast for him to be completely successful. While the long weapon missed its target, it grazed along the side of the Boss and broke one of the clasps holding his armor on. The NPC hopped away, his gold chest plate flopping against his front.

"Look at what you've done to my armor!" The **Floor Boss** yelled angrily.

"I'm sorry about that," Zulu replied. "Let me even that out. Make it symmetrical."

"You've done quite enough, you pest." He charged in, but Zulu caught his attack on the side of his javelin.

"Are you sure? I can do more."

"Don't get cocky, brat." Chrysaor smirked before bringing his leg up and kicking Zulu's feet out from under him just as his Stamina dropped. Percy called it there.

"Alright, Bro. My turn again." The raven-haired teen lept forward, intercepting the swing that would have dealt major damage to Zulu. He caught the Boss off guard long enough to land one good slash to his abdomen and allow the Army player time to retreat in his Exhausted state.

"You again," Chrysaor growled, annoyed at the repeated change in opponents preventing him from killing any of them. Plus that last hit has dropped his first **Health Bar** into the lowest point. One more and he would be below half health. "Are you the one in charge of this trash you call a family?"

"Well I am a Guild leader, so..." Percy trailed off, choosing to prioritize blocking his opponent's sword over finishing his sentence. Now that he had a gauge of Chrysaor's abilities and fighting style, he knew how to attack. He stepped back, adapting his preferred style to divert more and block less. The change had a very negative effect on the Boss. The CPU found himself stumbling after nearly every misdirected stab and leaving holes in his style after his sword would graze over his foe's, sparks flying through the digital air.

Percy threw him off, swinging **Riptide** upward in a diagonal slash the bit into the pirate and took the remainder of his first **Health Bar.** The Boss hissed, red code oozing from the wound that marked the fight's halfway point. The leader of the **Heroes of Olympus** Guild flashed his lopsided grin at the Boss's scowl.

"Damn you."

"Love you too, bro." Chrysaor lunged again only to be forced to pivot to block Percy's counter. Their swords clashed, turning the fight into a momentary battle of strength. The Boss won and Percy was thrown back, but he suffered nothing worse than a slightly bruised ego. He rushed in after regrouping himself, rolled under the Boss's horizontal attack (gotta love taking advantage of the mob attack patterns), and landed another cut that took about two-dozen HP.

The Boss growled and turned toward his foe, an attack already in motion. Percy was unable to act fast enough to avoid it and was hit. He cried out as the blade of precious metal cut into his arm. The sword sliced halfway into the player's bicep before he pulled away. Percy was glad that the injury did not inhibit his movement, but his HP dropped by nearly 25 points. Despite this, the New Yorker was able to twist his right arm enough to reach Chrysaor and deal equal damage.

Percy ended his turn there and passed it off to Winchester666/Dean who was itching for another crack at the CPU that had injured his friend so badly. Each able player in the circle proceeded to have their own turn, each taking various amounts of Health from the son of the gorgon. Outside the circle, Chrysaor's crew was overpowered and his captive freed. In was now the surviving members of the raid vs him, and his Health had just fallen into the red do to an attack from Astra.

"... Shit." That was it. He'd summarized the rest of his existence into one word. With a wide, loose circle of players trapping the Boss, the long-rangers rained arrows upon him. A virtual (literally and figuratively) storm of flying death fell on the evil son of Poseidon. In a last-ditch effort to survive, he activated his **Flooding** skill as well as a **Water Whip** to wipe away as many arrows as he could. The unaffected children of Poseidon closed in and stabbed the distracted Boss.

"Gods damn it," he cursed for the last time before shattering. The crowd threw up a cheer as the CONGRATULATIONS message shimmered into the air above them. His Spoils, **The Golden Sword**, was gifted to Astra because she had been the last to directly fight him.

The giant turtle they stood on shuddered as if it had hit something and a stairwell appeared at the far end of the ring. A couple of the solo players, a male and female claimed by Hades and whose **Health Bars** were on the lower end, told the group at large to go ahead before escorting Calista, Tacitus' granddaughter who had been taken prisoner by Chrysaor when they'd arrived on the floor, to a boat and heading back to town.

The rest of the group traveled down the stairs, happy that the giant turtle was no longer moving and the battle was over with very few casualties. At the bottom of the stairs, where the head of the beast met land, sat two massive doors set into a cliffside. The doors were decorated with little lines twisting and turning in every direction with no discernable rhyme or reason sans the fact that they moved in pairs. At the base of the door, where there were two lone lines like an entrance, were the images of two men, one of them wearing a crown, a boy, and a bull/man hybrid.

"Kirito?" Annabeth asked. "Please tell me the tenth floor isn't what I think it is."

"What do you think it is?" He retorted. "Because I can tell you that it isn't a library."

"Is Floor 10 the Labyrinth?" Asuna asked.

"Yes, it is," the Beater sighed. "And it's going to be nothing like what I remember."

"Why not?" Silica questioned.

"It's an ever-changing maze," Heathcliff said. "It's programmed to keep changing. Correct?"

"I'm afraid so," Kirito responded. "You could map out the entire Dungeon and that data would only be good for 24 hours. In the Beta, we were told we weren't allowed in at midnight because that was when it changed and, if a player was in it, their data could be corrupted. I don't know what that would mean now since, if we die, we're dead."

"Thank you, Kirito-kun. Everyone heard that, right? Good. There should be a city, but be careful. If the myths are any indication, entrances to the Labyrinth could be anywhere, even in the city. Children of Poseidon, I believe you have the honor of opening the doors." The indicated players stepped forward, placing one hand each on the face of the giant doors.

"On three," Percy announced. "One...two...three!"

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**Read And Review!**


	32. Knossos

**Well, hello from the beautiful state of Florida everyone. ****I know; it's been a while.**** I'm on vacation right now after graduating from high school, so I have had a lot of writing time. I just couldn't find much motivation to write for this story for a while. On a different note, I have just as many chapters written for my unpublished _One Piece_ story called Coby's Choice as for DHO. I actually have much further to go on that before I even consider publishing. Anyways...**

**Omega Alpha Hydra:**** Thank you so much. It's been a fun time. I'm glad you've enjoyed my story for so long. Hopefully this meets my usual standards.**

**Mon****ica**** Honda****:**** Here you go. I hope it's interesting enough for you.**

**DataDragon 2.0:  I'm honored that you feel that way. Here's the next installment.**

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**Chapter 32: Knossos**

A gleaming city stretched before the assembled players, its beauty belighing the danger the demigods knew it hid. They trudged down the road to the city, wary of monster attacks that never came. The entrance to the city was a great arch embroidered with designs of many Greek myths. As they approached, two guards standing on either side slid their spears together, blocking their path.

"Halt," the guard on the right demanded. "Who are you? State your purpose."

Heathcliff stepped forward. "We are simply a band of travelers searching for adventure."

"Your answer is acceptable," the guard on the left said, "but if you cause trouble, we, the soldiers of his majesty, will hunt you down and slay you. Please enjoy your stay."

"We will hunt you down and slay you; please enjoy your stay," Percy mocked, alluding to the ridiculousness of the statement and getting some of his siblings to laugh. They entered the plaza behind the arch, an area surrounded by shops and with a large fountain in the center.

"Remember the warning!" Heathcliff called to the crowd. He turned to find it smaller as players and small Guilds broke away to explore. One such small Guild were the **Heroes of Olympus.**

Through speaking with the local NPCs, the **Heroes of Olympus** learned that the city was known as Knossos and was ruled by King Minos. He had commissioned Greece's most brilliant inventor, Daedalus, to build the Labyrinth to capture the Minotaur, but that many more monsters had supposedly been stuffed inside it and that the inventor had gone missing with his nephew, Icarus.

They continued to wander until they came across an inn known as the Bull's Head. The group stepped into the, as usual, larger-on-the-inside building and rented their usual three rooms. It was then decided that they would need to make a Guild Base sooner or later, but they'd get there when they got there. The rest of the day was spent exploring the new town were the Raiders would be for an unknown amount of time.

* * *

The next morning found the **Heroes of Olympus** meandering through the fields of Floor 10. The open space was covered in golden waves of grain with large boulders interspersed every hundred feet or so. The group was attempting to find an entrance to the Labyrinth, but they weren't having much luck. They'd been out of the city for well over an hour, but no sign of the mythical maze had presented itself.

"Dammit!" Thalia yelled. "Where is it?!"

"This is getting us nowhere," Katie grumbled.

"We'd be able to cover more ground if we split up," Pollux suggested.

"Dibs on Pollux-kun!" Silica called. Without waiting for an answer, she dragged him to the closest rock, Pina following her.

"I guess I'll take Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-dumber," Katie sighed.

"Hey!" The twins protested in sync. "If anything, we're more like Abbot and Castello," Connor added.

"It's no use arguing with her," Travis sighed. "Come on, Tweedle-dumber."

"Oi!" Connor yelled. The trio wandered off, the Stolls arguing over who was who. Katie could already feel the headache coming on.

"So that leaves us four?" Percy started. He turned just in time to see Nico **Shadow Travel** both himself and Thalia away, leaving Percy alone in the field with Annabeth. "Oh come on!"

"Looks like it's you and me," Annabeth commented. "Let's get moving." They took off in a random direction, hoping to find what they were looking for. Others stopped them to say hello every now and then, Asuna, Kirito, they even saw Klein. He gave Percy a thumbs up with a perverted grin when Annabeth wasn't looking, an act that Percy punched him for, also when Annabeth wasn't looking. Two hours passed and still nothing.

"Maybe we should just head back to town," Percy muttered. Before the daughter of Athena could respond, the two heard the a rustle. Percy and Annabeth spun around, on guard instantly. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Annabeth answered. There was a hiss from somewhere on the male's right, but there was nothing there but grain when he looked. The girl twitched to her right, but saw nothing.

A black singer shot out in front of Percy, aiming for Annabeth's back. He reacted on instinct, lashing up with **Riptide** in an attempt to sever the appendage. Instead, the sword only shifted the stinger upwards. It retracted back into the grain. Another shot from the other direction, but Annabeth blocked it with her knife. Soon, three stingers at once were attacking.

"What the Hades are these things?" Percy yelled, deflecting another attack. "Can we not damage them?"

"They seem to be some type of scorpion," Annabeth yelled back. "We've got to get out of here." The ran as fast as their stats allowed, the mobs trailing behind. They skirted around a boulder, one of the scorpion's tails narrowly missing Percy's head and hitting the large rock instead. Percy could have sworn he heard a soft click, but the mobs were a more pressing matter.

That was, until a trap door opened in front of the duo. The demigods were running as fast as they could, so they were unable to stop. The two tumbled down a steep incline as their Health fell from the constant abuse. The scorpions hissed at them from the opening but came no further. Finally, the two reached the end of the tunnel as a jumbled pile of limbs.

"Is the floor supposed to be squishy?" Percy's muffled voice got out. He had no idea what he landed on, but it felt like a pile of pillows and was very comfy. His eyes opened, but there was no light save for a small, flickering sliver at the top of his vision. Annabeth screeched, flinging Percy off. The son of Poseidon hit the wall with a thud, his **HP** falling by a good ten points. With his vision disoriented and the lighting dim, he could barely make out Annabeth's form. She was hugging herself, a scarlet blush covering her face.

Percy's brain put the clues together rather quickly.

"Oh gods!" He shouted, his own face coloring. "I-I'm so sorry, Annabeth! I-I-I didn't mean to." Something in the distance roared, the sound echoing through the tunnel the two found themselves in.

"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said, her blush mostly receding. "Come on!" She grabbed Percy's wrist and started running. Behind them, monstrous shadows danced over the walls in the firelight from the torches burning on the walls.

"Wait," Percy argued. "Shouldn't we see what sort of mobs are in here?" He glanced backward, answering his own question. **Cyclopes** from Floor 6 chased them down the walkway. "Annabeth, they're only **Cyclopes.** We can take them."

"How many?"

"About ten, I think."

"Fine. But if we lose any Health, we're running. Got that?" In response, Percy twisted out of Annabeth's grip and doubled back. There were nine **Cyclopes,** all around level 20 and armed with clubs. Percy wasted no time; he charged the mobs, slicing through the first's right arm before bringing his sword down in a **Vertical.** The monster staggered backward, disoriented from the headshot and missing both a hand and its weapon. The son of Poseidon jumped back as two clubs cracked the ground he had been standing on.

Annabeth rushed in, swinging low to sever a foot from the **Cyclops** that attacked from their right. The mob, without proper footing, tumbled to the ground. It did not fall quietly, though. Its club swung with its flailing. The demigoddess was forced to duck under a wide swing that clipped the face of the mob behind her.

Percy rolled in from the other side and under another mob to finish off the grounded one. One sword through the eye later and the monster was nothing but blue polygons floating away.

They had no time to celebrate, however, as the other mobs tried to close in. Annabeth was able to kill the wounded **Cyclops** and Percy managed to catch one by surprise, but there were still six mobs ready to fight.

"Damn it," Percy panted. "What now?"

"I've got an idea," Annabeth whispered. "Try to get on one's back, but be ready to jump off."

"If I die, I'm blaming you." Percy ran in, weaving through the clubs that came for him. His target was the **Cyclops** furthest from Annabeth. Reaching his goal, Percy spun around its vertical strike and jumped on, hooking his arms under the mob's and grounding his feet in the monster's hips. The mob seemed to panic, not knowing what to do. The others had no such qualms; they began advancing toward the mounted monster with their clubs raised.

"Now!" Annabeth's voice yelled. Percy pushed off. Not a second later, four clubs and one fist met the **Cyclops** he'd been on. The combined attacks were enough to kill the monster, said beast bursting into code with a pained cry.

Percy rolled to his feet and faced the remaining five monsters before glancing at his stats. His **Stamina** sat around 70% and his **HP** was at 65%. Annabeth was faring a little better with 68% **HP.** The demigod dashed forward, twisting around a club to kick the monster wielding it in the stomach and kick off to slash through the shoulder of another. To finish, he rolled under the last few attacks before standing next to Annabeth.

"Why did you make me do that?"

"Now we know that the mobs can hurt each other."

"Really? That's why?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Any ideas, Wisegirl?"

"We could fight them here," she responded, "but our luck could turn. That or we could try leading them deeper into the maze and hope that it gives us something you can work with."

"That could lead to more mobs, though," Percy pointed out.

"There's a chance they would fight each other," Annabeth argued.

"And a chance they'll work together."

"Take the chance?"

"Too late. They're coming back." The two split up just before a club slammed into the ground were they had been. Percy ran in from the right, blocking a club that came for his head. The force behind the attack dropped his Health a dozen points, but the teen didn't mind. He pushed the blunt weapon out of the way and slashed across the **Cyclops'** chest.

The mob roared, red code seeping from the cut and into the surrounding air. Percy leapt up, his sword plunging into the monster's neck and cutting upward until it came out in a realistic spurt of crimson. He then kicked the corpse before it could shatter, sending the body into one of the turned around **Cyclopes** behind.

"Percy!"

* * *

The daughter of Athena approached from the right, careful to maintain her distance. The monsters' weapons had a much longer range than her knife, but she could not let that intimate her.

Unfortunately, three large opponents at once was intimidating no matter what. Kirito would just laugh at them, but she was far from the mysterious Beater in terms of raw strength. The Cyclops closest to her surged forward, its club over head. She rushed in with a much higher Speed stat, stabbing her blade into the one-eyed mob's gut.

The attack didn't do near as much as she thought it would. The beast's Health fell by a good 20%, but that wasn't enough. The monster was not fazed; it reached down and grabbed the blonde, only one of its hands enough to lock her arms in next to her body.

It was times like this when she wished she hadn't chosen to fight with a knife.

"Percy!" she cried out, the gravity causing the mob's hand to creep up toward her neck despite her efforts to prevent it. The **Cyclops** grinned, crooked teeth poking out through its grotesque maw. Its mouth opened, ready to bite her head off and end her life.

And then the monster's head came off with a sickening _shlink._ It rolled away from her with the same expression it had had. The body and arm holding her burst, letting gravity take hold, but she didn't hit the ground. Percy ran in, caught her around the waist, and bolted. The remaining two mobs tried to follow, but the demigod was far faster.

Percy didn't know how long he continued to run, but he was running out of **Stamina** when a light presented itself ahead of him. He dashed out of the deadly maze and into the sunlight, panting.

"Uh," Annabeth muttered. "You can put me down now."

"Oh, right." Percy knelt, releasing the blonde from the fireman's carry he had had her in. "Do you know where we are?"

The demigoddess took in their slightly similar surroundings. Gone were the wide fields of Floor 10, replaced with various trees. Behind them sat a large rock formation that vaguely looked like a fist if seen from the right angle, the rest of the time it took the image of a pile of dung. Both of the players came to the same conclusion around the same time.

"We're back on Floor 1," Annabeth said the same time Percy muttered

"This is where Byron died."

A new silence hung over them like a wet blanket. Percy was right. This was the area known as Zeus' Fist were the original seven members of the **Heroes of Olympus** had watched the death of a Beta Tester who was swarmed by **Hellhounds.** The sad moment ended when the jingle of a message arriving sounded twice, the two overlapping. Both Percy and Annabeth opened their inboxes to show multiple frantic messages from the other members of their Guild, the foremost of which was an angry rant from Thalia.

**_'Where the Hades are you two?! Your Health Bars disappeared from our HUDs over 45 minutes ago! We thought you were dead! Get your asses over here and explain yourselves before I track you down and beat the answers out of you!"_**

Percy send back a quick reply telling her that they had found the Labyrinth and had ended up on the first floor. He turned to find his crush inspecting the stones they'd, apparently, ran through to get there.

"Come look at this," the female ordered, waving the raven-haired teen over. She pointed to a small triangle carved into the rock as Percy approached. "Do you know what this is?"

"A triangle?"

"Try again."

"A polygon?"

Annabeth huffed. "It's a Greek Delta," she told him.

"So? What's the big deal about a letter?"

"It's said to be the mark of Daedalus." Something seemed to click in Percy's mind.

"Wasn't that the guy that build the Labyrinth?"

"Wow!" Annabeth exclaimed sarcastically. "You remembered something! But in all seriousness, yes. And I think this is our way of finding other entrances into the Labyrinth in the future."

"That's nice and all, but shouldn't we get going? It's a bit of a walk to Camp Half-Blood and I would like to get back to the others before we get attacked."

"You do realize we are Level 34 and 32, respectively, and the mob's down here are at Level 7 maximum. They couldn't kill us unless we went to sleep right here and didn't wake up as a pack of them attacked us. We'll be fine."

"Yeah, but-" Percy tried to argue. There was a soft click as the girl pushed the Greek letter. She pulled away as a door opened, the triangular symbol glowing a dull aqua beside it.

"I knew it."

"Alright," Percy sighed, scooping her up and over his shoulder. "We're leaving."

"P-Percy!" Annabeth stuttered, blushing and struggling. "Wait a second! But there's so much more to learn!"

"Not really," the boy denied, leaving the clearing. "You found a button and you pushed it. Then a door opened. What more do you want?"

Annabeth huffed, resigned to her fate of being carried. She couldn't wiggle free; Percy's Strength was much higher than her's. Nothing she say could cause Percy to put her down until they got out of the forest.

"Fine," she sighed. "You're buying me lunch, then."

"What?" Percy questioned. "Why?"

"You made me leave before I was done. You have to make it up to me somehow."

"Sure. Whatever." Percy sped up his trek out of the forest with his no-longer-struggling cargo. The others were waiting for them, after all.

**End of Chapter 32**

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**You all know the drill. Review!**

**-SwordOfTheGods**


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